Adverse Impact Research Group

Conference Presentations

SIOP Conference (2006)

Outtz, J. L. A frank discussion of adverse impact. (Symposium)

One of the most vexing problems faced by organizations is identifying and minimizing the adverse impact of its selection procedures.  The four papers in the symposium provide a comprehensive overview of what adverse impact is, cause factors, and the decision making process for addressing it.

Outtz, J. J., & Hanges, P. J. Recent practical, methodological, and statistical advances in the detection of adverse impact and test bias. (Workshop)

The concept of adverse impact is of keen interest to most I-O psychologists interested in organizational staffing and employment selection. Although an increasing number of articles in I-O-related journals are devoted to this topic, few offer a comprehensive exploration of current methodological, statistical, and practical developments in this area. For example, biogenetic research indicates that race is a social construct with no scientific definition. What are the implications of this research for race-based adverse impact in employment selection? Lawrence Summers, president of Harvard University, created a firestorm by suggesting that women are genetically less suited for careers in science and math than men. Is there adverse impact based on gender in the selection procedures that determine career opportunities in science, math, and engineering? Post 9/11, there has been an increase in the number of discrimination claims based on religion. Has there been a significant increase in adverse impact based on religion in the realm of employment selection? Under what circumstances does adverse impact constitute employment discrimination?

To date, most of the psychological literature on adverse impact has been descriptive in nature (e.g., descriptive taxonomies of subgroup differences based on various demographic characteristics) without addressing the underlying cause(s). This workshop will focus on the identification and measurement of adverse impact across a wide range of demographic categories including race, gender, ethnicity, age, and religion. Participants will be provided the opportunity to compare and contrast the “scientific” treatment of adverse impact within the profession of I-O psychology (as expressed in documents such as the SIOP Principles and the APA Standards) and practical/legal standards that define adverse impact (e.g., The Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures). This workshop will be of primary interest to (a) researchers and academicians interested in the scientific underpinnings of subgroup differences; (b) practitioners involved in day to day employment selection decisions; (c) policy makers in both public and private sector organizations who must determine the goals and vision of their organization with regard employment selection; (d) government policy makers and regulators who have regulatory oversight with regard to the employment practices of American corporations; and (e) students who wish to become knowledgeable with regard to the issues underlying the adverse impact debate.

This workshop is designed to help participants:

IOOB Conference (2006)

Outtz, J. L. The role of selection in workforce diversity.

Our knowledge of ways in which selection methodology affects workforce diversity has increased significantly in the past five years. From choices of predictors to the affect of criterion definition on selection accuracy, we are making major advances in refining selection procedures to meet the dual goal of a highly qualified and diverse workforce. This presentation will focus on my most recent research interests in areas such as the affect of test item context on the measurement of “g”, convergent versus divergent thinking as a moderator of adverse impact, and trainability testing as an alternative to traditional measures of cognitive ability. 

Southern Management Association (2005)

Lyon, J. S. (2005). Understanding the cognitive ability debate in selection: Suggestions for adverse impact theory and practice. Paper accepted for presentation at the annual meeting for the Southern Management Association, Charleston, SC.

SIOP Conference (2005)

Lyon, J. S., & Newman, D. A. (2005, April). Recruiting solutions for adverse impact: Targeting applicant pool characteristics. In D. A. Newman & C. C. Hoffman (Chairs), Personnel selection with multiple predictors: Issues and frontiers. Symposium to be presented at the annual conference of the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology. Los Angeles, CA.

Outtz, J. L., Goldstein, H. W., & Ferreter J. (2005, April). Divergent and convergent thinking: Test response format and adverse impact. In D. M. Mayer (Chair), Validity and diversity goals: Innovative approaches to adverse impact reduction. Symposium to be presented at the annual conference of the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology. Los Angeles, CA.

Outtz, J. L., Hanges, P. J., Hayes, S., Bates, A., & Sipe, M. (2005, April). Testing context and g: Item familiarity and adverse impact. In D. M. Mayer (Chair), Validity and diversity goals: Innovative approaches to adverse impact reduction. Symposium to be presented at the annual conference of the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology. Los Angeles, CA.

Shteynberg, G., Leslie, L. M., & Knight, A. P. (2005, April). AA/EEO statements and whites’ job attitudes: A social identity perspective. Poster to be presented at the annual conference of the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology. Los Angeles, CA.

Williams, C., & Newman, D. A. (2005, April). When NOT to use unit weighting: A meta-analytic approach. In D. A. Newman & C. C. Hoffman (Chairs), Personnel selection with multiple predictors: Issues and frontiers. Symposium to be presented at the annual conference of the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology. Los Angeles, CA.

 

Back