Research Statement
The nature of work is becoming increasingly complex and dynamic (Burke, Pierce, & Salas, 2006; Pulakos, Arad, Donovan, & Plamondon, 2000). This shift towards complexity and change has important implications for selection and training (Lang & Bliese, 2009). My research focuses on issues relevant to these two areas through two distinct, but related streams of research: 1) personnel selection and 2) skill acquisition and complex task training.
Personnel Selection
To better understand assessment measures used to select employees, I am involved in research that investigates cognitive ability measures’ susceptibility to retest bias. Many selection measures, particularly cognitive ability assessments, are administered more than once, and second administration scores are typically inflated, a phenomenon called retest bias. I have assisted in investigating the relationship between different item types and performance on the second administration of a cognitive ability test. Greater insight into the underlying mechanism of retest bias can aid organizations in better understanding the effect of applicants having previously taken the same cognitive ability assessment that is used in their selection procedure. We are currently in the data collection phase of this project.
Skill Acquisition and Complex Task Training
Within this domain, I am specifically interested in 1) teams 2) training and 3) predictors of adaptive performance. I have investigated the relationship between the Big Five personality factors (extraversion, emotional stability, openness to experience consciousness, and agreeableness) and routine and adaptive performance of teams and found that personality traits demonstrate differential relationships with routine and adaptive performance. I also am interested in the best way to operationalize personality traits for teams (e.g. mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum). Continuing my investigation of predictors of adaptive performance, my Master’s thesis moves from a team environment to a focus on the individual. I am interested in understanding the role of individuals’ knowledge structures (the way in which an individual organizes knowledge concepts of a domain or performance task) in adaptive and routine performance and how change in knowledge structure is related to these types of performance. Identifying the way in which individuals change (or do not change) their organization of knowledge depending on different types of performance will have implications for training design. I plan to begin data collection for this project in January.