Situational judgment test a measurement of judgment? /

by Pui, Shuang-Yueh.

Margaret E. Brooks, Advisor Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) are commonly used selection tools in personnel selection. These tests provide respondents with job-related situations and ask them to select the most appropriate behavioral response option. There are two common types of instructions on SJTs: effectiveness instructions (e.g., rate the effectiveness) and would do instructions (e.g., rate the likelihood you would perform). This thesis examined whether components of judgment (analytic and intuitive) underlie SJTs beyond measures of typical individual difference variables, cognitive ability and personality. This thesis also investigated whether there is an interaction between instructions and components of judgment on SJT scores. Results found that judgment did account for additional variances in SJT scores beyond the typical individual differences variables: cognitive ability and personality traits. However, there is a negative relation between intuitive judgment and SJT scores that is accounting for the incremental variance. Results also found an interaction between instructions and components of judgment on SJT scores, providing evidence that different instructions influence the two components of judgment differently when responding to SJTs. These findings imply that judgment components may underlie SJTs and that different instructions could have different influences on SJT responses. iii I dedicate this thesis to my parents, who have supported me in my endeavors. I love you both very much. iv