This study examines performance appraisal differences for two types of contingent employees and noncontingent employees in terms of task performance and contextual performance. The design of the study was 3 within (Employement Type: Noncontingent, Hopeful Contingent, Temporary Contingent) x 2 within (Performance Type: Task, Contextual). Participants (N = 250) read three brief scenarios, each describing one of the three types of employees. In one section, they rated the importance of the performance facets. In the following section, participants rated the employee?s overall performance as well as performance on the two performance facets. Results indicated that task performance was rated as more important across all participants. Overall, expectations were the highest for Hopeful Contingents, followed by Noncontingents and Temporary Contingents. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Organizations frequently administer surveys and psychological measures to multiple groups (e.g., cultural and demographic groups). However, before making direct cross-group comparisons, researchers need to ensure that the psychometric properties of these measures do not differ by groups. In order to test this hypothesis of measurement invariance, many researchers employ confirmatory factor analytic tests of measurement invariance. These tests require a referent indicator (RI) for model identification. This RI is assumed to be perfectly invariant across groups. Using simulated data, results indicate that inappropriate RI selection may be mildly problematic for scale-level invariance tests and highly problematic for item-level tests. These findings underscore the importance of careful RI selection.

This study found that culture-specific pictures on a recruitment website allowed individuals to more accurately assess an organization?s culture, while employee testimonials had no such effect. Additionally, results indicated that when individuals expressed higher preferences for a specific culture dimension, they had a higher dimension-level P-O fit after viewing websites designed to portray the specific culture dimension. Lastly, this study confirmed results of previous studies (e.g., Cable & Judge, 1996; Judge & Cable, 1997), that when individuals report higher levels of P-O fit with an organization, they are more attracted to the organization. Suggestions for practitioners are included on how to best design recruitment websites to allow viewers to accurately assess an organization?s culture.

The purpose of this research is to understand the various relational dimensions that characterize the process of behavioral consultation. A relational communication perspective emphasizes that within dyadic interactions (such as those that occur between a consultant and consultee); speakers are constantly redefining their roles, positions, and relationship through conversations (Erchul, Grissom, & Getty, 2008). Although communication researchers have emphasized several relational themes that emerge in dyadic interactions (e.g., trust, similarity, depth; Burgoon & Hale, 1984; Millar & Rogers, 1976, 1987), relational communication consultation studies have almost exclusively focused on the theme of relational control (i.e., dominance-submission). This exclusionary focus on relational control has neglected other important relational themes that may characterize consultant-consultee interactions. In this study, participants listened to consultation interviews in which consultants and consultees were characterized as either high or low dominance. After listening to the interviews, participants rated consultants and consultees on several relational dimensions (e.g., involvement, trust, similarity, depth, composure, formality). Results from this study suggest that several relational dimensions are present within consultant-consultee interactions. Additionally, the presence of relational dimensions varies based on both role (i.e., school psychologist or teacher) and level of dominance. In sum, results from this current study suggest that relational dimensions other than dominance are present in consultant-consultee interactions.

Although ratings of overall job performance are a common criterion measure in I/O psychology, research dedicated to understanding how overall performance is conceptualized by the individuals responsible for evaluating performance is limited. In this study, performance data collected from the immediate supervisors of state troopers was used to examine the relationship between dimension ratings and ratings of overall performance. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses indicated that, while both aspects of performance contribute to ratings of overall performance, the relationship between contextual performance and overall ratings varied across supervisors. Hypotheses were offered regarding characteristics of the supervisor and the work context that might explain this variance, but were not supported. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.

The historical correlation between intellectual functioning and academic achievement is largely based on individually administered achievement tests. However, the standards-based reform movement and recent special education legislation emphasize group-based achievement tests and allow for the use of state-based tests in eligibility determinations. Importantly, there does not exist research examining the IQ-achievement relationship using standards-based tests; thus, the current study evaluated the correlation between the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) and those tests comprising the North Carolina assessment program (i.e., End-of-Grade (EOG) tests). Five NC school psychologists provided archival information on students (n = 76) and results yielded support for the two hypotheses, which postulated that confidence intervals placed around correlation coefficients between Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) scores and EOG-Reading and âMathematics scores would capture r =.6, which is roughly halfway between the range of historical correlations. Implications regarding the validity of the WISC-IV and its potential use in identifying learning disabilities in which achievement is measured by tests linked to state standards, as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.

Lack of student achievement has long been a cause of national concern. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act of 2001 represents the latest attempt to both correct past educational inequities and to improve the competitiveness of American education. NCLB mandates that all students must meet proficiency standards by the 2013-14 school year. To determine whether students are on track to meet this goal, NCLB uses the metric of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Presently, AYP appears to be set in terms of what is required to meet the 2013-14 goal with no consideration of how student growth and development actually occurs. Moreover, this type of goal assumes that all students can develop or progress at the same rate, in other word, ?one size fits all.? This study sought to examine this ?one size fits all? assumption through the examination of unobserved heterogeneity in student growth trajectories. Specifically, this study sought to determine whether student growth trajectories in reading and mathematics between grade 3 and grade 8 could be adequately described by either single or multiple classes of growth using a multi-level growth mixture modeling approach. Further, the study examined the effects of gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity, parental education, and Local Educational Area (LEA) funding upon these growth trajectories. In terms of classes of growth trajectories, the results clearly suggest the existence of multiple classes of growth for both reading and mathematics. All individual level covariates influenced either membership in a growth class or the latent growth factors or both class membership and growth factors. In contrast, LEA level funding covariates effects were in general not supported. Relationships, for the most part, were consistent across primary and replication samples. Lastly, implications for educational practice, educational policy, Industrial/Organization psychology, and research are discussed along with the limitations of the present study.

The purpose of the research has been to investigate personality as a predictor for perceived performance change following a leader training program. A sample of 363 leaders attended a five day leader development training program at a centralized location. Approximately 90-120 days after returning to work in their organizations, participating leader received a 360-degree assessment in order to determine that amount of perceived performance change. Personality was measured using the CPI260, and results were mapped onto the Five Factor model of personality. Personality was investigated both as dimensions of the Five Factor model and as types. Personality types were determined via cluster analysis. Personality was further investigated as a moderating the relationship between self-other rating discrepancy and perceived performance change. Results suggest that personality, either by dimension or type, can be used as a predictor in determining perceived performance change following a leader development intervention. Personality was not found to moderate the relationship between self-other rating discrepancy and perceived performance change. Implications for theory and practice as well as recommendations for further research are presented.

A paucity of research has examined longitudinal performance and the predictive ability of performance change on important outcomes. In addition, few studies have investigated the effects of rater variables on performance over time and the effect of rater group composition or rater perspective on longitudinal performance ratings. The purpose of this research was to investigate consequences related to rater characteristics including rater context, perspective and composition in the measurement and prediction of longitudinal performance. Results suggested that longitudinal self-ratings, boss ratings, and direct report ratings were equivalent. The results of this study also concur with earlier findings about the dynamic nature of performance (Thoreson, et al., 2004). Longitudinal change in performance was found for every leadership performance factor in ratings from every rater group. Latent growth curves for all rater groups were remarkably similar although boss ratings showed the most consistent longitudinal change. Adding sector and/or subdivision covariates to the models improved model fit for each rating source group. Using growth mixture modeling with the rater context covariates allowed the estimation of latent classes that clarified the direction of leadership performance growth. Results also indicated the importance of rater composition. Direct reports who consistently rated the same leader tended to rate those leaders more highly than the direct reports who rated different leaders. Adding the composition moderator variable to the boss rating models improved model fit for four of the five leadership performance models. The composition covariate also significantly predicted the intercept and slope for boss ratings of Ethics and Character, suggesting that obtaining leadership performance ratings from consistent bosses plays an important role in detecting linear change in leader performance, especially for ratings of Ethics and Character. Leaders with positive development on Ethics and Character had higher consensus performance scores, confirming past research showing that integrity and ethical behavior are important characteristics in successful managers (Posner & Schmidt, 1984; Mortensen, Smith, & Cavanagh, 1989).

The current study investigated whether reactions to electronic monitoring and task satisfaction are a function of the task-relatedness of monitoring practices and the presence of justification for monitoring. A sample of 176 undergraduate participants completed a computer-based task correcting electronic retail order forms. Participants were randomly assigned to one of five conditions: task-specfic monitoring with justification, task-specific monitoring without justification, off-task inclusive monitoring with justification, off-task inclusive monitoring without justification, or no monitoring. Task-specific monitoring involved electronic tracking of computer activities directly related to task performance, whereas off-task inclusive monitoring supposedly tracked nontask-related computer activities. Justification entailed providing a rationale or explanation for why monitoring was being implemented. The following dependent variables were assessed: perceived relevance of monitoring, perceived rationale for monitoring, invasion of privacy, procedural justice, and task satisfaction. Results indicated task-relatedness of monitoring and justification had an effect such that monitoring task-specific behaviors and providing a clear justification for monitoring resulted in relatively favorable attitudinal outcomes. Implications and recommendations for practice are discussed.