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Multiple Test Batteries as Predictors for Pilot Performance: A Meta-Analytic Investigation

<p>A
Test Battery (TB) is a measurement method that is designed to assess a variety
of ability constructs. The extent to which TB predicts future pilot performance
has important implications for both flying organizations and
applicants. The primary emphasis in the existing literature has
been on scores of individual ability tests, in contrast to the scores of
multiple ability tests that are typically indexed by composites derived from
TBs. The selection literature lacks a focus on composite scores, and seldom
links to the broad cognitive abilities that predominate TBs. The objective of
this study was to investigate how the different broad ability constructs of TBs
influence their predictive validities for pilot performance. Six ability groups
were identified as the most common ability saturations of pilot selection TBs.
On the basis of 89 studies and 118 independent samples, a series of
meta-analyses were conducted to determine the criterion-related validity of the
six categories of TBs for several criterions of pilot performance.</p>

<p>The
investigation revealed there was an overall small and positive relationship
between TBs and flight performance. The six categories of cognitive ability TBs
appeared to be valid predictors of pilot performance, and at least five of them
generalize validity across studies and settings. More specifically, three sets
of predictor groups were identified according to the magnitude of validity
estimates. The highest validity group included <i>Work Sample</i> TBs
(<i>r</i>=.34), the second highest validity group included TBs of <i>Acquired
Knowledge</i>, <i>General Ability</i>, and <i>Motor Abilities</i> (<i>r</i>=.19,
.18, and .17, respectively), and the lowest validity group included TBs
of <i>Perceptual Processing</i> and <i>Controlled Attention</i> (<i>r</i>=.14
and .10, respectively).</p>

<p>The results also indicated that there was substantial variability
in the effect of cognitive abilities on flight performance, with evidence of
moderators operating in most cases. Five potential moderator variables were
examined that may moderate the TBs-performance relationship in flying. The
analysis for the moderator variable of <i>the number of tests in the
battery </i>(small battery/large battery), <i>regularity of TB use in
pilot selection</i> (commonly used/uncommonly used), and <i>criterion
level of measurement</i> (continuous/ordinal/dichotomous/ contingency
table) revealed significant moderating effects on the correlations between
flight performance and several types of test batteries. Other moderators
related to <i>year of publication</i> (1987-1999/2000-2009/2010-2017)
and <i>flying organization</i> (USAF/US Navy/Another
military/Civilian) did not significantly influence the correlations between TBs
and flight performance. The implications of the findings for practice are
discussed, and recommendations for future research directions are provided.</p>

  1. 10.25394/pgs.7411724.v1
Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/7411724
Date17 January 2019
CreatorsKhalid S. Almamari (5930516)
Source SetsPurdue University
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText, Thesis
RightsCC BY 4.0
Relationhttps://figshare.com/articles/Multiple_Test_Batteries_as_Predictors_for_Pilot_Performance_A_Meta-Analytic_Investigation/7411724

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