Person-Centered Study of Cognitive Ability Dimensions Using Latent Profile Analysis

A number of researchers have called for additional investigations into cognitive ability and intelligence in recent years. This paper utilized a person-centered approach, multiple cognitive ability dimensions, and latent profile analysis to investigate multivariate relationships among cognitive ability dimensions in a sample of 1681 Army recruits. Six cognitive ability dimensions were assessed via the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Performance measures were obtained from supervisor ratings of Effort, Discipline, and Peer Leadership. Using latent profile analysis, the results identified five distinct cognitive profiles or classes, which differed significantly across the three types of supervisor ratings.

Exploring the Relationship between Cognitive Ability Tilt and Job Performance

Most of the work examining the relationship between intelligence and job performance has conceptualized intelligence as g. Recent findings, however, have supported the claim that more specific factors of intelligence contribute to the prediction of job performance. The present study builds upon prior work on specific cognitive abilities by investigating the relationship between ability tilt, a measure representing differential strength between two specific abilities, and job performance. It was hypothesized that ability tilt would differentially relate to job performance based on whether or not the tilt matched the ability requirements of the job, and that ability tilt would provide incremental validity over g and specific abilities for predicting performance when the tilt matched job requirements. Hypotheses were tested using a large sample from the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) database. Ability tilt related with job performance in the expected direction for 27 of the 36 tilt-job combinations examined, with a mean effect size of .04 when the tilt matched job requirements. The mean incremental validities for ability tilt were .007 over g and .003 over g and specific abilities, and, on average, tilt explained 7.1% of the total variance in job performance. The results provide limited evidence that ability tilt may be a useful predictor in addition to ability level, and contribute to our understanding of the role of specific abilities in the workplace.

Exploring the use of an under-desk leg swing device during employee aptitude testing and implications on work performance and productivity

BACKGROUND

As modern occupations become more sedentary, desk-bound workers are more at risk of chronic diseases. Active workstations have gained popularity in the workplace, but there remain concerns about their impact on cognitive function.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the use of a novel under-desk leg swing device on cognitive ability in the workplace compared to sitting.

METHODS

Cognitive ability was measured using a pre-employment aptitude test (CCAT), and perceived outcomes were analyzed via self-report questionnaires. Using a randomized, repeated measures crossover design, 18 undergraduate students undertook the CCAT while using the under-desk leg swing device and while sitting only (Experiment 1). 9 students returned two to three weeks later to repeat testing (Experiment 2).

RESULTS

In Experiment 1, CCAT scores did not differ significantly between the under-desk leg swing device and sitting (mean difference (MD) = -1.056, standard error (SE) = 1.302,p = 0.429, d = -0.16). Effect sizes of 0.554 were observed for perceived alertness, 0.446 for attention, 0.446 for focus, and 0.564 for enjoyment, but there were no significant differences between the two conditions. CCAT scores were significantly higher in Experiment 2 than in Experiment 1 (MD = 8.444, SE = 2.410,p = 0.008, d = 1.64).

CONCLUSION

Based on Experiment 1, the findings suggest that the use of the under-desk leg swing device promotes movement without detriment to neither workflow nor cognitive ability relevant to employee aptitude compared to sitting.

Core Competencies for Maritime Business Educators in the Digital Era

In light of digitalization, the objectives of this study are to (1) identify the emerging, core competencies of maritime business educators (MBE) and (2) examine their effects on perceived teaching performance. A systematic review of the contemporary literature was first performed to build a competency framework. Subsequently, an online survey was administered to 196 faculty members of the top 10 leading maritime universities as identified from the Worldwide Maritime School Rankings produced by Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The collected data were analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis to extract the main competencies of MBE. The results uncovered five key competencies from 22 sub-competencies. Thereafter, Hierarchical Regression Modeling was used to examine the effects of the key competencies on perceived teaching performance. After controlling for teaching experience and job position, it was found that the five competency requirements, in descending order of their importance, have significant positive effects on teaching performance: Pedagogy, Maritime, Interpersonal, Business and Digital. Academically, this study consolidates the literature and identifies the emerging core competencies that are expected from MBE in the digital era. The study also implicates education policy formulation, offering directions for institutions to allocate their resources, develop suitable training and assessment programs, and facilitate benchmarking.

Selecting for Learning Potential: Is Implicit Learning the New Cognitive Ability?

For decades, the field of workplace selection has been dominated by evidence that cognitive ability is the most important factor in predicting performance. Meta-analyses detailing the contributions of a wide-range of factors to workplace performance show that cognitive ability’s contribution is partly mediated by the learning of task-relevant skills and job-specific declarative knowledge. Further, there is evidence to suggest that this relationship is a function of task complexity, and partially mediated by learning performance in workplace induction and training activities. Simultaneously, evidence is mounting that stable individual differences in implicit learning exist, which are at least partially independent of traditional measures of intelligence. In this article we provide an overview of recent advances in our understanding of implicit learning, outline some of the advantages offered by its measurement, and highlight some of the challenges associated with its adoption as a measure of interest.

Prepregnancy obesity is associated with lower psychomotor development scores in boys at age 3 in a low-income, minority birth cohort

Whether maternal obesity and gestational weight gain (GWG) are associated with early-childhood development in low-income, urban, minority populations, and whether effects differ by child sex remain unknown. This study examined the impact of prepregnancy BMI and GWG on early childhood neurodevelopment in the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health Mothers and Newborns study. Maternal prepregnancy weight was obtained by self-report, and GWG was assessed from participant medical charts. At child age 3 years, the Psychomotor Development Index (PDI) and Mental Development Index (MDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Intelligence were completed. Sex-stratified linear regression models assessed associations between prepregnancy BMI and pregnancy weight gain z-scores with child PDI and MDI scores, adjusting for covariates. Of 382 women, 48.2% were normal weight before pregnancy, 24.1% overweight, 23.0% obese, and 4.7% underweight. At 3 years, mean scores on the PDI and MDI were higher among girls compared to boys (PDI: 102.3 vs. 97.2, P = 0.0002; MDI: 92.8 vs. 88.3, P = 0.0001). In covariate-adjusted models, maternal obesity was markedly associated with lower PDI scores in boys [b = -7.81, 95% CI: (-13.08, -2.55), P = 0.004], but not girls. Maternal BMI was not associated with MDI in girls or boys, and GWG was not associated with PDI or MDI among either sex (all-P > 0.05). We found that prepregnancy obesity was associated with lower PDI scores at 3 years in boys, but not girls. The mechanisms underlying this sex-specific association remain unclear, but due to elevated obesity exposure in urban populations, further investigation is warranted.

An Investigation of Computer-based Brain Training on the Cognitive and EEG Performance of Employees

Neurocognitive skills (e.g., processing speed, attention and memory) were hypothesized to be critical for workplace performance and by extension for the work-life balance of employees. Twenty-one employee volunteers underwent a neurocognitive training program - which consisted of an initial pre-test assessment, a six week "boost" or intervention period, and then a re-assessment to track the progress of each participant. A median split of the group created two training groups: a long-training group that averaged 30 hours of total training during the boost period; and a short-training group that averaged 7 hours of training. On pre-training measures of neurocognitive performance, group differences in performance did not reach statistical significance. Following training participants experienced a positive impact from the program as measured in three ways: standardized higher behavioral metrics, improved cognitive state metrics using EEG and positive self-reported data. From a quantitative perspective, participants' cognitive efficiency increased by 12% for the high-training group and 5% for the low-training group (cognitive efficiency refers to a behavioral measure which combines accuracy and speed). Qualitatively, study participants reported improvements in their productivity and mental performance post-study.

Cognitive performance and functional outcomes of carriers of pathogenic copy number variants: analysis of the UK Biobank

BACKGROUND

Rare copy number variants (CNVs) are associated with risk of neurodevelopmental disorders characterised by varying degrees of cognitive impairment, including schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. However, the effects of many individual CNVs in carriers without neurodevelopmental disorders are not yet fully understood, and little is known about the effects of reciprocal copy number changes of known pathogenic loci.AimsWe aimed to analyse the effect of CNV carrier status on cognitive performance and measures of occupational and social outcomes in unaffected individuals from the UK Biobank.

METHOD

We called CNVs in the full UK Biobank sample and analysed data from 420 247 individuals who passed CNV quality control, reported White British or Irish ancestry and were not diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders. We analysed 33 pathogenic CNVs, including their reciprocal deletions/duplications, for association with seven cognitive tests and four general measures of functioning: academic qualifications, occupation, household income and Townsend Deprivation Index.

RESULTS

Most CNVs (24 out of 33) were associated with reduced performance on at least one cognitive test or measure of functioning. The changes on the cognitive tests were modest (average reduction of 0.13 s.d.) but varied markedly between CNVs. All 12 schizophrenia-associated CNVs were associated with significant impairments on measures of functioning.

CONCLUSIONS

CNVs implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia, are associated with cognitive deficits, even among unaffected individuals. These deficits may be subtle but CNV carriers have significant disadvantages in educational attainment and ability to earn income in adult life.Declaration of interestNone.

Revising Antinepotism Policies: Should the Private Sector Be More Like the Federal Government?

It is often said that the federal government needs to be more like the private sector (Brooks, 2013; Campbell, 2011; Harvey, 2012; Miller, 2013; Neal, 2013; Schnurer, 2013). However, after reading Jones and Stout's (2015) summary of private-sector antinepotism policies, we wonder whether the opposite is true when it comes to nepotism and cronyism: Should the private sector be more like the federal government? According to Jones and Stout, many organizations have antinepotism policies that prohibit the employment of the friends and family of current employees. We believe that these policies might go too far, and we propose that the policies used by the federal government could serve as a model for private-sector organizations. We also think that the federal government can shed some light on why organizations want to prohibit nepotism and cronyism.

Explaining the Weak Relationship Between Job Performance and Ratings of Job Performance

Ratings of job performance are widely viewed as poor measures of job performance. Three models of the performance–performance rating relationship offer very different explanations and solutions for this seemingly weak relationship. One-factor models suggest that measurement error is the main difference between performance and performance ratings and they offer a simple solution—that is, the correction for attenuation. Multifactor models suggest that the effects of job performance on performance ratings are often masked by a range of systematic nonperformance factors that also influence these ratings. These models suggest isolating and dampening the effects of these nonperformance factors. Mediated models suggest that intentional distortions are a key reason that ratings often fail to reflect ratee performance. These models suggest that raters must be given both the tools and the incentive to perform well as measurement instruments and that systematic efforts to remove the negative consequences of giving honest performance ratings are needed if we hope to use performance ratings as serious measures of job performance.

Intelligence 2.0: Reestablishing a Research Program on g in I–O Psychology

Intelligence (i.e., g, general mental ability) is an individual difference that is arguably more important than ever for success in the constantly changing, ever more complex world of business (Boal, 2004; Gatewood, Field, & Barrick, 2011). Although the field of industrial–organizational (I–O) psychology initially made substantial contributions to the study of intelligence and its use in applied settings (e.g., Hunter, 1980; Schmidt & Hunter, 1981), we have done relatively little in recent times about studying the nature of the intelligence construct and its measurement. Instead, we have focused predominately on using intelligence to predict performance outcomes and examine racial subgroup differences on intelligence test scores. Although the field of I–O psychology continues to approach intelligence at a surface level, other fields (e.g., clinical psychology, developmental and educational research, and neuropsychology) have continued to study this construct with greater depth and have consequently made more substantial progress in understanding this critical and complex construct. The purpose of this article is to note this lack of progress in I–O psychology and to challenge our field to mount new research initiatives on this critical construct.

The smart leader: examining the relationship between intelligence and leader development behavior

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between intelligence and behavior during leader development.

Design/methodology/approach

– As part of a leader development program, a variety of measures are collected, including measures of intelligence and measures of performance (e.g. assessment center performance, a 360-degree appraisal). The participants are given performance feedback from a variety of sources then asked to form developmental goals. The goals are examined for goal quality and goal-feedback correspondence, and examined in relation to intelligence.

Findings

– Intelligence was positively related to goal-feedback correspondence. Intelligence was also related to goal quality after controlling for variance attributed to professional discipline.

Research limitations/implications

– Personality, gender, age, and other variables were not included in this study. Other factors, such as the cultures of the organizations from which the individuals hailed, were also not included. Moreover, the conclusions were based on the behaviors exhibited in one leader development program. Future research should address these limitations.

Practical implications

– Leader development is expensive and is becoming more popular. The results of this research could help organizations better determine who is likely to benefit from the investment in leader development.

Originality/value

– In addition, a unique method is presented in the study for measuring leader development behavior based on goal quality and goal-feedback correspondence. Generalizability theory is applied in order to determine the reliability of the measures.

Antecedents to Job Success in Business Process Management

Business Process Management (BPM) maximizes firm performance by transforming isolated functional activities into streamlined, cross-functional processes. Being a relatively new discipline, disagreement exists regarding the position structure and qualifications required for success. However, certain individual differences have been associated with job performance, both in general and for specific occupations. Because BPM initiatives can be expensive and risky, understanding these individual differences may help practitioners improve their chances for BPM job success. Two models of job performance have dominated organizational research; one argues that personality traits are the chief determinants, while the other argues that intelligence and experience are most important. This paper uses logistic regression to examine the efficacy of each model in predicting job performance among BPM professionals. Results indicate that intelligence, conscientiousness, and openness to experience are the most important differentiators of BPM job performance.

Effect Size and Power in Assessing Moderating Effects of Categorical Variables Using Multiple Regression: A 30-Year Review

The authors conducted a 30-year review (1969-1998) of the size of moderating effects of categorical variables as assessed using multiple regression. The median observed effect size (f(2)) is only .002, but 72% of the moderator tests reviewed had power of .80 or greater to detect a targeted effect conventionally defined as small. Results suggest the need to minimize the influence of artifacts that produce a downward bias in the observed effect size and put into question the use of conventional definitions of moderating effect sizes. As long as an effect has a meaningful impact, the authors advise researchers to conduct a power analysis and plan future research designs on the basis of smaller and more realistic targeted effect sizes.

General mental ability in the world of work: occupational attainment and job performance

The psychological construct of general mental ability (GMA), introduced by C. Spearman (1904) nearly 100 years ago, has enjoyed a resurgence of interest and attention in recent decades. This article presents the research evidence that GMA predicts both occupational level attained and performance within one's chosen occupation and does so better than any other ability, trait, or disposition and better than job experience. The sizes of these relationships with GMA are also larger than most found in psychological research. Evidence is presented that weighted combinations of specific aptitudes tailored to individual jobs do not predict job performance better than GMA alone, disconfirming specific aptitude theory. A theory of job performance is described that explicates the central role of GMA in the world of work. These findings support Spearman's proposition that GMA is of critical importance in human affairs.

Academic performance, career potential, creativity, and job performance: can one construct predict them all?

This meta-analysis addresses the question of whether 1 general cognitive ability measure developed for predicting academic performance is valid for predicting performance in both educational and work domains. The validity of the Miller Analogies Test (MAT; W. S. Miller, 1960) for predicting 18 academic and work-related criteria was examined. MAT correlations with other cognitive tests (e.g., Raven's Matrices [J. C. Raven, 1965]; Graduate Record Examinations) also were meta-analyzed. The results indicate that the abilities measured by the MAT are shared with other cognitive ability instruments and that these abilities are generalizably valid predictors of academic and vocational criteria, as well as evaluations of career potential and creativity. These findings contradict the notion that intelligence at work is wholly different from intelligence at school, extending the voluminous literature that supports the broad importance of general cognitive ability (g).

Controversy and consensus regarding the use of cognitive ability testing in organizations

Seven hundred three members of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology indicated agreement or disagreement with 49 propositions regarding cognitive ability tests in organizations. There was consensus that cognitive ability tests are valid and fair, that they provide good but incomplete measures, that different abilities are necessary for different jobs, and that diversity is valuable. Items dealing with the unique status of cognitive ability were most likely to generate polarized opinions. A 2-factor model, classifying items as those reflecting societal concerns over the consequences of ability testing and those reflecting an emphasis on the unique status of "g," fit the data well, and these factors proved especially important for predicting responses to the more controversial items.

A Meta-Analytic Study of General Mental Ability Validity for Different Occupations in the European Community

A comprehensive meta-analysis of the validity of general mental ability (GMA) measures across 12 occupational categories in the European Community (EC) is presented. GMA measures showed that there is validity generalization and large operational validities for job performance and training success in 11 occupational groups. Results also showed that job complexity moderated the magnitude of the operational validity of GMA tests across three levels of job complexity: low, medium, and high. In general, results were similar to those found in the United States, although the European findings showed a slightly larger magnitude of operational validity in some cases. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings for personnel selection are discussed. ((c) 2003 APA, all rights reserved)