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The major purpose of this study was to determine whether empirically keyed, cross-validated biodata scales accounted for incremental variance over that accounted for by the five factor model (FFM) of personality and GMA predictors. A concurrent validation study was employed using 376 employees in a clerical job (222 in the developmental sample and 154 in the cross-validation sample). Results for the crossvalidation sample provided support for the hypothesis that biodata predictors accounted for substantial incremental variance beyond that accounted for by the FFM predictors and GMA for 3 of the 4 criteria. Support was also found for the hypothesized zero-order correlations between GMA, FFM, and biodata predictors and the 4 criteria. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
General Mental Ability (GMA), five factor model (FFM) personality constructs, and biodata measures have been shown to be valid predictors of job performance in numerous settings and for a wide range of criterion types (e.g., Barge & Hough, 1988; Barrick & Mount, 1991; Hunter & Hunter, 1984; Reilly & Chao, 1982; Rothstein, Schmidt, Erwin, Owens, & Sparks, 1990; Schmitt, Gooding, Noe, & Kirsch,1984). However, very little research has examined their joint use. The purpose of the present study is to examine the incremental validity of empirically keyed, crossvalidated biodata scales over GMA and construct valid measures of the FFM personality constructs.
Research conducted over the past 18 to 20 years has shown that GMA is related to performance for virtually all jobs and that its validity increases as job complexity increases (e.g., Hunter & Hunter, 1984; Schmidt, Hunter, & Pearlman, 1981). Although GMA is related to job performance, the majority of variance in the criterion remains unaccounted for. Noncognitive predictors such as personality and biodata measures may account for some of the unexplained variance.
Research conducted over the past decade has shown that at least some personality measures are valid predictors of performance (e.g., Barrick & Mount, 1991; Salgado, 1997; Tett, Jackson, & Rothstein, 1991). Validities for the FFM constructs have been shown to differ depending on the nature of the job and the type of criteria, but each has been shown to be a valid predictor when linked to appropriate criteria. Of the FFM constructs, Conscientiousness has been shown to be the most generalizable predictor, with...