R. Blake Jelley

This study examined candidate reactions (motivation, performance anxiety, behavioural anxiety, procedural justice, & interactional justice) to promotional exams in a sample of police officers. Reactions were found to be significantly and differentially related to exam performance, organizational respect and recommendation intentions. Reactions also mediated relations between candidate coping strategies and exam performance. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are discussed. Candidate Reactions “I felt prepared and ready for the exam before writing. When I left I was angry and concerned. Angry because such a poor quality exam could potentially hold me back from competing, and concerned that this might happen to other good candidates.” “I studied very hard over a three month period and feel I did well. The studying experience and exam was a long and difficult process, but a very worthwhile experience (whether or not I did as well as I expect). I feel...

The Challenge of Aggregating Studies of Personality Mitchell G. Rothstein R. Blake Jelley The University of Western Ontario Individual differences are generally recognized as central concerns to many industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologists (Goffin & Helmes, 2000; Mount & ...

Practitioners who apply insights from organizational research to managerial decision-making can make better decisions, yet there remains a disconnect between research, teaching, and practice in management. This paper describes initiatives in the University of Prince Edward Island’s Faculty of Business to teach evidencebased management in our undergraduate and Executive MBA programs to help bridge those gaps.

The Licensure of Consulting and Industrial–Organizational (I-O) Psychologists (LCIOP) Joint Task Force has been examining the controversial issue of licensing I-O and consulting psychologists since 2014. We argue that constructive engagement with licensure is important for setting the future direction of the laws and regulations that govern professional psychology. We review relevant background information, current pressures on regulators, and recent developments in this area. We outline recommendations for jurisdictions’ regulators as well the I-O and consulting psychology communities to consider, discuss, and possibly act on. Others are invited to join the constructive, sometimes vigorous discussions we have enjoyed within the LCIOP Joint Task Force.

Research and practice in performance appraisal and performance management seem to suffer from the same “delusion of absolute performance” that Rosenzweig (2007, p. 112) described with respect to commentators’ evaluations of company performance in a competitive market economy. Commentators on business success factors have tended to speciously neglect or downplay the relative nature of performance (Rosenzweig, 2007). Downplaying the relative nature of performance is apparently the strategy endorsed by most performance appraisal scholars, too. Goffin, Jelley, Powell, and Johnston (2009) estimated that less than 4% of the published performance rating research has involved relative or social-comparative approaches, despite demonstrable advantages for relative over absolute rating formats (discussed below). Similarly, social comparison research and organizational scholarship have not traditionally been closely integrated (Buunk & Gibbons, 2007; Greenberg, Ashton-James, & Ashkanasy, 2007).

Ratings of others’ performance are central in applied psychology. We investigated rater incentives and two approaches to Behavior Observation Scale (BOS) rating on rating accuracy. Raters (N = 147) were randomly assigned to one of three accuracy-incentive conditions and completed one of two BOSs 48 hr after observing videotaped performances. A serial BOS asked raters to assess one ratee at a time, across behaviors. A parallel BOS had raters consider all ratees on one behavior at a time. The serial (one ratee at a time) approach was generally more accurate than the parallel (one behavior at a time) approach. However, an accuracy incentive prior to observation mitigated the negative effects of the parallel approach. Overall, a serial BOS seems well suited for developmental appraisal.

ABSTRACT Candidate perceptions of test fairness have significant consequences for organizations. However, little attention has been directed toward interventions that may promote favorable reactions, despite recognition that the identification of such management practices is important. The current study investigated a strategy designed to improve candidate reactions—field vetting of items. This strategy involves comprehensive test item review sessions with a variety of applied subject matter experts. The extent to which the field vetting process resulted in more favorable reactions among police officers vying for promotion was investigated using a naturally-occurring quasi-experimental design. Results showed support for the field vetting process to improve reactions to high-stakes tests.

Graduate training in industrial and organizational (I–O) psychology has long prepared students with skills and knowledge that are highly valued by employers, both in practice and academe alike. Our article, based on a panel discussion, explores what aspects of graduate training are sought out by employers in multiple fields, what new I–O hires need to know, and ways we can improve professional preparation for both practice and academics. Although the current SIOPGuidelines for Education and Trainingare satisfactory for present market conditions, we explore areas where the Guidelines could be made more forward thinking in determining the kind of training I–O students should be receiving.

1 Faculty of Social Work and Institute for Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 2 The Wilson Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 3 Ontario Police College, Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, Aylmer, Ontario, ...

Research has increasingly identified alarming levels of traumatic stress symptoms in individuals working in emergency services and other high stress jobs. This study examined the effects of prior critical incident exposure and current posttraumatic symptoms on the performance of a nonpatient population, police recruits, during an acutely stressful event. A stressful policing situation was created through the use of a video simulator room that was responsive to actions of participants. The performance of participants to the simulated emergency was evaluated by 3 independent blinded raters. Prior exposure to critical incidents was measured using the Critical Incident History Questionnaire and current level of traumatic stress symptoms was measured using the Impact of Events Scale-Revised. Neither previous exposure to critical incidents nor trauma symptoms correlated with performance level. Recruits with high or severe levels of trauma symptoms did not demonstrate impairments in judgment, communication, or situation control compared with their colleagues with lesser or no trauma symptoms. On the basis of these findings, there is no reason to believe that police recruits with PTSD are prone to making errors of communication or judgment that would place them or others at increased risk.

The immediate and long-term effects of traumatic exposure and subsequent posttraumatic stress reactions in people in high-risk occupations are well-documented. What is less evident is the impact of this traumatic exposure and subsequent traumatic stress symptoms on workers' response to acute stress situations. This study aimed to examine the association between prior traumatic exposure related to policing, current posttraumatic stress symptoms and biological markers of stress, and subjective appraisal of stress before, during, and after exposure to acutely stressful stimuli. A stressful policing situation was created through the use of a video simulator room. Participants' responses to the simulated emergency were evaluated by monitoring heart rate, collecting salivatory samples for cortisol analysis, and repeated administration of a subjective measure of anxiety. Biological indicators of stress, as measured by cortisol level and heart rate, were not associated with previous trauma exposure or trauma symptoms; however, biological response was associated with subjective anxiety. Vulnerability to psychological stress responses during an acute stress situation was also associated with lower levels of social support, previous traumatic exposures, and preexisting symptoms of traumatic stress. The importance of these factors became more pronounced as time progressed after the event. Previous trauma exposure did not put individuals at increased risk of biological distress during an acute stress situation. However, previous trauma and reduced social supports were associated with continuing psychological distress, confirming previous research and raising concerns about the cumulative negative effects of traumatic exposure on psychological health in emergency responders.

This study investigated the relationship between coping styles and police re-cruits' stress responses and performance during a stressful event and the relationship between coping styles and traumatic symptoms. Recruits partici-pated in a simulated stressful policing situation and were ...