Republic of the Philippines

Laguna State Polytechnic University

Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Industrial and
Organizational
Psychology

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

LSPU Self-Paced Learning Module (SLM)

Course Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Sem/AY First Semester/2022-2023
Module No. 2
Lesson Title  Lesson 5: Employee Selection: References and Testing
 Lesson 6: Evaluating Selection Techniques
 Lesson 7: Evaluating Employee Performance
 Lesson 8: Designing and Evaluating Training Systems

Week
4 Weeks
Duration
Lesson 5- 8
Description The lesson for these weeks shall discuss the various employee selection and evaluation
of the Lesson procedures and strategies done in human resources. The processes of how to evaluate whether
a particular selection method is useful and how to use test scores to make a hiring decision are
also highlighted in this chapter. Lastly, this will give the students an insight into how to design
and construct training and development plans for the employees within an organization.
In addition, this chapter provides activities that will allow the students to apply the knowledge
gained during discussions.

Learning Outcomes

Intended Students should be able to meet the following intended learning outcomes:
Learning  Learn how to use the trait approach to score letters of recommendation
Outcomes  Understand how to choose the right type of employment test for a particular situation
 Understand how to determine the reliability of a test and the factors that affect test
reliability
 Understand the five ways to validate a test
 Learn about the increased use of 360-degree feedback
 Know how to create a performance appraisal instrument
 Know how to administer a performance appraisal system
 Determine the training needs
 Know how to conduct a training needs analysis
 Be aware of the various training methods
Targets/ At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
Objectives  Be able to describe the different types of tests used to select employees
 Be able to create and score a biodata instrument
 Be able to evaluate a test for potential legal problems
 Understand how to use test scores to make personnel selection decisions
 Understand the problems associated with performance ratings
 Be able to conduct a performance appraisal review
 Understand how to legally terminate an unproductive employee

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

 Know how to conduct a training program

 Understand the psychological theory behind successful training
 Be able to evaluate the effectiveness of a training program

Student Learning Strategies

Online Activities A. Interactive Online Discussion

(Synchronous) 1. Discussion and Recitation will be held online form of Zoom Application or
Google Meet.
2. There will be a maximum of 3 hours of online class discussion & recitation
3. Announcements, activities, & quizzes are tackled during the online session
4. There will be a survey among the students on what would be the time for the
online discussion so that students are ready and meet on time. Although it will
be on the same day as the schedule given by CAS.

B. Chat-based online discussions

1. If further questions are raised by the students after the online meeting, they
will be allowed to chat through the designated group chat of the class.
2. Students may also leave a personal message to the instructor if he/she is too
timid to ask during online lectures

C. Submission of Requirements
Google Classroom – Each class will have a Google classroom where they will
submit their requirements

Note: The insight that you will post on the online discussion forum using Learning
Management System (LMS) will receive additional scores in class participation.

Online Activities A. Recorded Video Presentation

(Asynchronous) 1. Recorded discussions of the topic will be uploaded on Youtube so they can
replay it at any time.

B. Facebook Messenger
1. Students may ask questions using Facebook messenger and make
clarifications.
Offline Activities Lecture Guide (5th Week)
(e-Learning/Self-
Paced) EMPLOYEE SELECTION - REFERENCES AND TESTING

Reference
The expression of opinion, either orally or through a written checklist, regarding an
applicant’s ability, previous performance, work habits, character, or potential for
future success.

Reference Check
The process of confirming the accuracy of information provided by an applicant

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Letter of Recommendation
Letter expressing an opinion regarding an applicant’s ability, previous performance,
work habits, character, or potential for future success. Content and format are
determined by the letter writer (usually)

Why Require References?

1. Check for resume fraud
2. Find new information about the applicant
3. Check for potential discipline problems
4. Predict future performance

1. Checking for Resume Fraud

• Why Check?
– 1/3 of resumes contain inaccurate info
– over 500,000 people have bogus degrees
• Verifying Information
– truth
– error
– embellishment
– fabrication
• Obtaining Missing information
– unintentional omission
– strategic omission
– deceptive omission
• Alternative methods
– bogus application items
– social security reports
– hire professional reference checkers

2. Finding New Information About the Applicant

• Types of Information
– personality
– interpersonal style
– background
– work habits
• Problems
– references seldom agree
– people act in different ways in different situations
• Alternative Measures
– psychological tests
– letters of recommendation
– biodata
– resumes
– interviews

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

3. Checking for Potential Discipline Problems

• Criminal Records-sexual harassment, poor attendance, and violence
• Prevent negligent hiring
– Previous employers
– Motor vehicle records
– Military Records
– Credit reports
– Colleges and universities
– Neighbors and friends

Criminal Records
• Obtained from local and state agencies
• Check with each jurisdiction
• Only convictions can be used (EEOC Decision No. 72-1460)
– “Reasonable amount of time” between release and decision to hire
– In using convictions, an employer must consider
• Nature and gravity of the offense
• Amount of time that has passed since the conviction and/or
completion of the sentence
• The nature of the job held or being sought
Credit Checks
• Purpose
– Predict motivation to steal
– Determine the character of the applicant
• Fair Credit Reporting Act
– Order through a Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA)
– Provide written notice to the applicant to you will be checking the
credit
– Get the applicant’s written authorization to check the credit
– If adverse action is to be taken
• Provide the applicant with “Pre-adverse Action Disclosure”
which includes a copy of the credit report
• Inform the applicant that they will not be hired due to credit
check and provide the name of CRA and notice of applicant
rights to appeal within 60 days

4. Predicting Future Performance

• References are not good predictors of performance
– Uncorrected validity is .18
• References are not reliable (r = .29)
– The high correlation between two letters written by the same person
for two people than between letters written by two people for the
same person
– They say more about the person writing the letter than the person

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

being written about

• References are lenient
– Fewer than 1% of applicants are rated below average!

Problems with References

1. Leniency
1. Applicants often choose their references
2. Applicants often have the right to see their files
3. Former employers fear legal ramifications
– Charged with defamation of character
4. Confidentiality concerns
Potential Legal Ramifications
• Negligent hiring
– Potential employer (seek)
• Invasion of privacy
• Negligent reference
– A former employer (provide)
• Defamation
– Libel (written)
– Slander (oral)
– Self-publication

2. Knowledge of the Applicant

• May not know the applicant well
• May not have had opportunities to observe the behavior
• Employees act differently around supervisors

3. Reliability
• Lack of agreement between two people providing the reference for the same
person
– Supervisor vs. Professor
• Research indicates reference reliability is only .22 (Aamodt & Williams, 2005)
– The high correlation between two letters written by the same person
for two people than between letters written by two people for the
same person
– They say more about the person writing the letter than the person
being written about

4. Extraneous Factors Surrounding the Reference

• Reference giver’s ability to articulate
– Letters containing specific examples were rated higher than a general
one
• The extent to which the referee remembers the applicant
• The words used by the reference giver

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

-she has no sexual oddities that I am aware of

-I have an intimate and caring relationship with the applicant
-Jill is a bud that has already begun to bloom

Some Recommendations
1. Increase Structure
– Job analyses
2. Explicitly stating the relationship with the person being recommended
3. Be honest
4. Let the applicant see your reference

Trait Method of Evaluating Letters of Recommendation

(Peres and Garcia (1962)
• The Technique
– Read each letter
– Highlight traits in each letter
– Place each trait into one of five categories
• Mental agility (openness to experience)
• Vigor
• Urbanity (Extroversion)
• Cooperation-Consideration (Agreeableness)
• Dependability-Reliability (Conscientiousness)
– Total the number of traits per category
– Divide the number of traits per category by the total number of traits

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

EMPLOYEE SELECTION METHODS

• Training & Education
• Experience
– Applications/Resumes
– Biodata
– Interviews
• Knowledge
• Ability
– Cognitive
– Physical
– Perceptual
• Skills
– Work Samples
– Assessment Centers
– References
• Personality & Character
– Personality Tests
– Integrity Tests
• Medical

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Engaging Activities

Engaging Activities

Week 5 and 6
Construct a resume that will help you land your dream job.

Week 7 and 8
Design a training plan for the following position in HR:
 Compensation and benefits manager
 Human resource information specialist (HRIS)
 Recruiter

Performance Tasks

Week 5
PT 1
1. Should an organization provide reference information for former employees? Why or why not?
2. What should be the most important factors in choosing a selection method? Explain your answers.
3. What selection methods are most valid?

PT 2
1. Should employers test employees for drugs? Why or why not?
2. Are integrity tests fair and accurate? Explain your answer.

Week 6
PT 1
1. What is the difference between reliability and validity?
2. What method of establishing validity is the best?
3. Why is the concept of test utility so important?

PT 2
1. What is the difference between single-group and differential validity?

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

2. Why should we use anything other than top-down selection? After all, shouldn’t we always hire the applicants
with the highest scores?

Week 7
PT 1
1. What do you think is the most important purpose for performance appraisal? Why?
2. What problems might result from using a 360-degree feedback system?
3. The chapter mentioned a variety of ways to measure performance. Which one do you think is the best? Why?

PT 2
1. What do you think is the best way to communicate performance appraisal results to employees?
2. Is the employment-at-will doctrine a good idea? Why or why not?

Week 8
PT 1
1. In what type of situations is training most useful? Least useful?
2. What motivates employees to learn during training sessions?
3. What would be the best training technique for teaching computer skills? What would be the best technique for
customer service skills?

PT 2
1. Do all new employees model the behavior of more experienced employees? Why or why not?
2. Why would measures of employees’ attitudes about a training program and measures of actual learning be
different?

Understanding Directed Assess

Rubric: Performance Tasks (Essay and Journal Entry)

Criteria Score
Answers are comprehensively discussed and additional key points are provided. 10
Answers are complete and precise and key points are well-stated and supported. 8
Answers have addressed the key points but are not completely emphasized and not
6
well-supported.
Answers are somewhat incomplete where the key points are not examined. 4
Did not answer the given question/s. 0

Score Completion AccuracyComprehension Organization Conventions

The content The content is No major
All information demonstrates a well-organized grammatical or
The answer is
5 provided is deep and easy to read. spelling errors.
complete.
accurate. understanding Points follow a No more than two
of, and logical minor errors.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

engagement,
progression.
with the text(s).
The content
The content is
No major
demonstrates an well-organized
The answer is All information grammatical or
understanding and easy to read.
4 missing slight provided is spelling errors.
of, and
Points follow a
details. accurate. No more than five
engagement logical
minor errors.
with, the text(s).
progression.
The content is
The content
The answer is Most organized and Some major and
demonstrates a
missing information easy to read. minor errors don’t
3 basic
multiple provided is Points follow a necessarily impair
understanding of
details. accurate. most logical communication.
the text(s).
progression.
Major and minor
Content may be
The content errors
The content unorganized and
suggests a lack Some significantly
demonstrates difficult to read.
of preparation information weaken the
2 less than a basic Points do not
or provided is quality of
understanding of follow a solidly
comprehension accurate. communication,
the text(s). logical
. although still
progression.
compensable.
Communication is
Content only The content
A small amount The content is seriously impaired
marginally demonstrates a
of the unorganized, by a multitude of
1 related to the lack of
information is illogical, and spelling/
question/ understanding of
accurate. difficult to read. grammatical
prompt. the text(s).
errors.

Additional Points for Creativity for Journal Entries Submitted: 5 Points

Learning Resources

Michael Aamodt, Industrial/Organizational Psychology: An Applied Approach, 6th ed., Wadsworth, 2009

Paul Muchinsky, Psychology Applied to Work, 8th ed., Wadsworth, 2004

Bisen, V. (2010). Industrial Psychology. New Age International Publishers.

Riggio, R. E. (2018). Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology Seventh Edition. New York City:
Routledge.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Province of Laguna
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Prepared by:

JASPER ANN P. STA.MARIA, RPm

Part-Time Instructor

Intellectual Property
This module is for educational purposes only. Under section Sec. 185 of RA 8293, which
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including multiple copies for classroom use, scholarship, research, and similar purposes is not an
infringement of copyright.”
The unauthorized reproduction, use, and dissemination of this module without the joint
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LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY