Interest, Personality, Values TestingWork Samples

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Interest, Personality, Values Testing/Work Samples

• BCE 545 (Seminar in Vocational Assessment)
• April 8, 2002

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Assessment of Vocational Interests
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What is Interest?

• Enjoyment of or liking an activity, which can
  vary according to
• Situation and Environment
• Complexity of the Activity
• Frequency of the Activity

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How do Interests Develop, and How do they Change
over Time?

• Various career theorists have different ideas on
  development of interests.
• Common Themes
• Socialization
• Gender (and Gender Biases)
• Culture/Geography/Socioeconomic Status
• Life Experience, Development, Maturity
• Change in Interests?
• As we grow older, our interests become more
  crystallized, because we learn more about
  ourselves and the world around us.

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Types of Interests

• Expressed Interests What an individual says that
  they like to do.
• Caution Outside influences, socialization,
  values and rewards other than interest can
  interfere with honest self-appraisal.
• Manifest Interest What an individual does, how
  they spend their time, or what they do well.
• Caution Avocations/Hobbies may not be as
  interesting when they become work.
• Tested Interests Interest measured by an
  interest inventory (dont say Interest Test)
• Good as a counseling tool or for breaking the
  ice around vocational interests.

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Interest Inventories

• Types
• Checklists (USES Interest Checklist Gordon
  Occupational Checklist) Good for measuring or
  obtaining clearer expressed interests.
• Non-Verbal (Picture) Inventories vs. Verbal
  (Written) Inventories (Reading Level 5-6 grade
  necessary for most written inventories)
• Verbal Inventories (Holland-based and Others)

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Non Verbal Interest Inventories

• Use with individuals who have less than a sixth
  grade reading capacity.
• Use pictures instead of words (individual picks
  the picture that they are most interested in)
• In general, not as practical, have less utility
  than verbal interest inventories.
• Examples WRIOT, Geist Pictures, Reading-Free
  Vocational Interest Inventory

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The Wide Range Interest Opinion Test (WRIOT)

• 150 sets of three pictures individual marks
  answer form (bubble sheet) according to most
  and least liked items.
• About an hour for administration and hand
  scoring.
• Eighteen scales of interests (Office Work, Art,
  etc.) and seven scales of work attitudes (Risk,
  Ambition, Agreement, Interest Spread)
• No special norms for persons with disabilities
• May be the best non-reading inventory available.
• Does not crosswalk well to occupational
  information resources (GOE, DOT, etc.)
• Scoring is cumbersome.
• Normative data and validation is questionable.

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Geist Picture Interest Inventory-Revised

• Assesses 11 male and 12 female general
  interest areas (persuasive, clerical, musical,
  scientific, outdoor, literary, computational,
  artistic, social service, dramatic, personal
  service).
• 44 sets of three pictures, individual circles the
  one they like most.
• Motivational questionnaire, helping to explain
  why persons made the choices they did
• Good to use with individuals who are at a lower
  level of cognitive functioning.
• Results cannot be crosswalked from to other
  occupational information

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Reading-Free Vocational Interest Inventory,
Revised

• 55 triads of three pictures.
• Indicates interest primarily in trade areas
  (automotive service, patient care, etc.)
• Normative data is extensive (gender, grade level,
  different levels of MR, learning disabilities).

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Verbal/Written Interest Inventories

• Holland-Based Tests (Realistic, Investigative,
  Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional)
• Strong Vocational Interest Inventory
• Self-Directed Search
• Career Assessment Inventory
• Career Decision Making System Revised
• All give a RIASEC profile

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(No Transcript)
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Hollands Personality/Interest Types(RIASEC)

• R Realistic Enjoy work with concrete outcomes,
  like working with the hands (construction trades,
  farming).
• I Investigative Enjoy working with data,
  information scientific pursuits.
• A Artistic Enjoy creative activities (music,
  art, drama, literature, technical writing)
• S Social Enjoy working with people (teachers,
  counselors, clergy)
• E Enterprising Enjoy leadership, commerce
  (business, sales, politics, administration)
• C Conventional Enjoy orderly, practical work
  (clerical positions)

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Holland Primary, Secondary, Tertiary Interests

• We all have some of each of these characteristics
  in varying degrees.
• Three are most important
• Primary Interest One of the six types is
  dominant.
• Secondary Interest One of the six types is
  stronger than all but the primary interest.
• Tertiary Interest The strongest of the remaining
  four types.
• These three types form a code for the individuals
  work personality (REC SAI, etc.)

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Holland Types and Occupations

• Occupations, like people, tend to be oriented
  toward a primary, secondary and tertiary
  occupational type.
• Persons will feel most comfortable (most
  adjusted) in occupations that match their
  personality type.
• SO
• If you know the persons interest orientation
• And you know which occupations fit this
  orientation
• You have a good idea of occupations they would be
  interested in (in theory, of course)

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Using Holland Typology and the GOE

• 1st two digits of a Guide for Occupational
  Exploration code are related to a particular
  Holland type
• GOE Holland Code
• 01 Artistic Artistic
• 02 Scientific Investigative
• 03 Plants and Animals Realistic
• 04 Protective Realistic
• 05 Mechanical Realistic
• 06 Industrial Realistic
• 07 Business Detail Conventional
• 08 Selling Enterprising
• 09 Accommodating Social
• 10 Humanitarian Social
• 11 Leading/Influencing Social
• 12 Physical Performing Social

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Strong Vocational Interest Inventory (formerly
the Strong Campbell)

• Long test, best used with persons interested in
  formal academic training
• Mailed away for administration
• Provides RIASEC code, list of level of match of
  interests with persons employed in very wide
  variety of occupations.
• 25 Occupational Scales (I.E., Academic Comfort)

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Self-Directed Search

• Self Administered and scored, can be completed in
  about a half hour.
• Booklet used with test to interpret RIASEC
  profile jobs listed for each three-letter type.
• Better to use with persons who are not going to
  attempt college training.
• Will take this in Dr. Stephens Career
  Development class.

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Non-Holland Verbal Inventories One Example

• Kuder Occupational Interest Survey
• Measures interests in ten occupational
  categories and seven personal-oriented areas
  (dealing with work situations and
  characteristics).

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Assessment of Interests Considerations

• Interest does not equal ability, aptitude, or
  temperament.
• Interest inventories are subject to issues of
  validity and reliability as any other
  psychometric test.
• Interest inventories are only one means of
  assessing interestsexpressed and manifest
  interests should never be discounted when
  choosing vocational goals.
• Vocational maturity strongly related to stability
  of interestscompare adolescents to persons in
  their 40s.
• Tested, expressed and manifest interests will
  tend to be similar in persons who are
  vocationally mature, more vocationally adjusted.
• Interest is essential in making a good career
  choicepersons may not fit well (be well
  adjusted) to work they find boring or monotonous.

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Personality and Values Assessment
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What is Personality?

• The way you arethinking, feeling, acting,
  locus of control--infinite dimensions.
• Mental Health vs. Mental Illnessone dimension of
  personality often a point of interest for
  psychologists/psychiatrists in assessing
  personality.
• In vocational counseling, variations in normal
  personality are considered in relation to
  temperamentthe ability to handle situations that
  place demands on the personality.

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Why is personality assessment important?

• FOR THE PSYCHOLOGIST Determining necessary
  programming to achieve desired goals (diagnosis,
  adjustment, mental illness)
• FOR THE REHABILITATION COUNSELOR/VOCATIONAL
  EVALUATOR
• Job Satisfaction (including work values)
• Temperaments What can the person handle on a job
  from an emotional standpoint?
• THE RATIONALE FOR GIVING THE PERSONALITY
  INVENTORY SHOULD MATCH THE INTENDED PURPOSE OF
  THE INVENTORY

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The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
(MMPI)

• The BIG ONE.
• Must be interpreted by a psychologist/
  psychiatrist
• Ten major scales and numerous supplementary
  scales, which are used to form a graph across a
  page the shape of this graph is a basis for
  interpretation.
• Hypochondriasis (Hs) - Paranoia (Pa)
• Depression (D) - Psychasthenia (Py)
• Conversion Hysteria (Hy) - Schizophrenia (Sc)
• Psychopathic Deviate (Pd) - Hypomania (Ma)
• Masculinity-Femininity (MF) - Social Introversion
  (O or SI)
• Used for diagnostic purposes, when there is a
  strong suspicion of mental illnessnot a tool
  simply for vocational assessment.

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Other Personality Inventories

• Can be used to measure differences in normal
  personality traits.
• Have more value in vocational assessment,
  measuring temperamental capacity ability to
  tolerate or adjust to work situations/environment.
  
• Examples
• Edwards Personal Preference Survey
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• 16 PF.

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Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS)

• Measures more normal personality traits
• Fifteen scales (achievement, deference, order,
  exhibition, autonomy, affiliation, intraception,
  succorance, dominance, abasement, nurturance,
  change, endurance, heterosexuality, and
  aggression).
• Can be group administered takes about fifty
  minutes to complete.

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The Myers Briggs Type Indicator

• Gives four bipolar scores
• Extroversion (E) vs. Introversion (I)
• Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N)
• Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)
• Judgement (J) vs. Perception (P)
• Types are given as a four-letter code (ESFP,
  for instance)

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Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF)

• Measures sixteen personality factors Warmth,
  Reasoning, Emotional Stability, Dominance,
  Liveliness, Rule Consciousness, Social Boldness,
  Sensitivity, Vigilance, Abstractness,
  Privateness, Apprehension, Openness to Change,
  Self-Reliance, Perfectionism, Tension.

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Values Assessment as part of Personality
Assessment

• Question How do values differ from personality,
  and why are values important?
• Values can be assessed both formally (through
  testing) or informally (through interviews and
  questioning, see page 161).

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Values Inventories

• Work Value Inventory creativity, intellectual
  stimulation, economic return, security, prestige,
  altruism.
• Survey of Work Values Intrinsic/Extrinsic work
  values.
• Minnesota Importance Questionnaire Status,
  Altruism, Safety, Comfort, Achievement, Autonomy

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Concerns in Personality Assessment

• Most inventories require reading at least at a
  5th-6th grade level.
• Tests used for formal diagnosis (ie, mental
  illness) should only be administered and
  interpreted by a psychiatrist/psychologist.
• Do not crosswalk well to occupational
  information subjective interpretation by
  counselor/evaluator in relating to vocational
  choice is usually necessary.

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Work Samples
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What are Work Samples?

• A simulated work activity that is very similar to
  what an individual might do on an actual job.
• Work samples typically have standardized
  instructions, materials, and norms, just like
  paper and pencil tests.
• Work samples are usually scored on two criteria
• Time (Quantity of Work or Rate of Work Pace)
• Correctness (Quality of Work)
• May be purchased (work sample systems such as
  Valpar, JEVS, Singer, TOWER, etc.) or developed
• In-House by a vocational evaluator (job
  analysis used to develop work sample norms
  developed locally).

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Kinds of Work Samples

• SIMULATED WORK SAMPLES
• Single-Trait Work Sample Measures only one
  trait similar to a specific aptitude test.
• Cluster Trait Work Sample Measures numerous
  traits simultaneously, may lack face validity.
• Simulated Work Sample A general sample of an
  occupation, not related to a specific position
  in the community.
• Actual Work Sample A sample of a job in the
  laboratory derived from an actual job in the
  community, using the same tools and materials.
• REAL WORK SAMPLES
• Situational Assessment Observation of individual
  working in a job setting (ie, working on the line
  in a sheltered workshop).
• On-the-Job Tryout Placing an individual in an
  actual job in the community for a trial period.

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Advantages of Using Work Samples

• Observation of individual actually doing work.
• High face validity
• Less likelihood of cultural bias than
  psychometric tests
• Lets consumer and evaluator experience an actual
  activity and see how they like it, how well they
  can do it.
• Can be used to establish
• Learning curves
• Learning styles
• Local development allows for very relevant of
  assessment of fit with occupations in the local
  community.

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Disadvantages of Work Samples

• Reliability and Validity can be concerns
• Still are based primarily on psychometric
  principles (especially simulated work samplesbe
  careful of norms!).
• Difficult to capture all elements of a job in a
  work sample (especially when done in a
  laboratory/vocational evaluation unit).
• May need to be modified to allow persons with
  disabilities to use them--just like many
  psychometric tests