Discussion: View Thread

  • 1.  integrity testing

    Posted 10-27-2011 15:22

    Hello,

    I had a few questions about integrity testing:

    1) Are there any data on the prevalence of use among organizations?

    2) Is integrity testing regulated by any federal or state laws?

    3) Integrity testing is typically discussed as a preemployment selection tool.  Is it ever used among current employees?

    Thanks for any help,
    Mike Frone

    ****************************************************************
    Michael R. Frone, Ph.D.
    Senior Research Scientist
    Research Institute on Addictions
    State University of New York at Buffalo
    1021 Main Street
    Buffalo, New York 14203

    Office:    716-887-2519
    Fax:        716-887-2477
    E-mail:     frone@ria.buffalo.edu
    Internet:     http://www.ria.buffalo.edu/profiles/frone.html
    ***************************************************************


  • 2.  integrity testing

    Posted 10-27-2011 16:55
    I have never seen a study of prevalence.  Because these tests are proprietary I doubt such a study exists

    I also know of no regulations governing their use

    And I  have never heard of it being used beyond selection

    Looking forward to knowing if others have different info

    Sent from my iPhone

    On Oct 27, 2011, at 3:29 PM, "Michael Frone" <frone@RIA.BUFFALO.EDU> wrote:


    Hello,

    I had a few questions about integrity testing:

    1) Are there any data on the prevalence of use among organizations?

    2) Is integrity testing regulated by any federal or state laws?

    3) Integrity testing is typically discussed as a preemployment selection tool.  Is it ever used among current employees?

    Thanks for any help,
    Mike Frone

    ****************************************************************
    Michael R. Frone, Ph.D.
    Senior Research Scientist
    Research Institute on Addictions
    State University of New York at Buffalo
    1021 Main Street
    Buffalo, New York 14203

    Office:    716-887-2519
    Fax:        716-887-2477
    E-mail:     frone@ria.buffalo.edu
    Internet:     http://www.ria.buffalo.edu/profiles/frone.html
    ***************************************************************


  • 3.  integrity testing

    Posted 10-28-2011 10:01

    Thanks for the response so far.  The responses I receive to my initial three questions have come back channel.  Some people asked me to share the responses.  So below is what I have received so far.  Any additional information on the three questions below would be appreciated and summarized in a day or so.  A couple people provided references to two different meta-analyses that provide validity estimates. I don't provide them below because they can be found readily, don't address the questions posed, and there are more recent one's.  In any case, they do trigger a fourth question or issue--any thoughts on this one is also appreciated:

    4) Ignoring test development companies, who have a financial stake in the matter, there still seem to be two camps among researchers.  Those who believe that any positive validity above zero is  better than noting in selection, and those who believe that the validities of these tests lead to an unacceptable level of false positives.  So why is the use of integrity tests not uncommon and have little regulation if their false positive rates are so high?  As one comment below to question 1 suggested, companies try not to label them as integrity tests--perhaps to avoid scrutiny?

    As a comparison, drug testing has a number of limitations (the most important one is that it can't address the typical motivation for using drug testing), but a high false positive rate is not really one of them if testing is done properly (a positive immunoassay screening test is followed by confirmatory test using chromatography/mass spectrometry, and a positive confirmatory test is followed by the review of a Medical Review Officer). If the false positive rate for drug tests was as high as purported for integrity tests, it seems unlikely that the courts would have given them the foothold they have. And there is more state regulation in the use of drug testing. Nonetheless, with the development of immediate point of collection tests being marketed, the use of testing, especially preemployment testing, without confirmatory testing and MRO review is likely to grow among private, nonfederally-regulated employers.  This may lead to more litigation and more regulation for private employers who do not now have to follow federal or state regulations.  Federal guidelines outline very comprehensive procedures to safeguard against false positives.  In any case, there is more regulation of drug testing, with lower false positive rates, than of integrity testing with much higher false positive rates-I think even relative to initial drug screening tests.  

    COMMENTS TO QUESTIONS 1 - 3:

    1) Are there any data on the prevalence of use among organizations?

    Two comments:

    A) I have never seen a study of prevalence.  Because these tests are proprietary I doubt such a study exists

    B) No current reliable estimates exist as most organizations using them try to avoid labeling the tests they use as "integrity tests."  Most retail organizations use them and have their proprietary instruments. Based on the number of tests available and the volumes of their use, my sense is that at the very least several million (5-10 million) test takers in the US and abroad take integrity tests.  For some older data, see Ann Marie Ryan et al.'s (1999) article in Personnel Psychology "AN INTERNATIONAL LOOK AT SELECTION PRACTICES: NATION AND CULTURE AS EXPLANATIONS FOR VARIABILITY IN PRACTICE"


    2) Is integrity testing regulated by any federal or state laws?

    Three people pointed out that there are     no federal regulations, but integrity tests are regulated in two states.  There is a total ban in Massachusetts
    (http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section19b -- subsection 1 "... Or written examination ... purpose of purporting to assist in or enable the detection of deception ...") and Rhode Island prohibits the use of integrity tests as the primary basis of an employment decision (http://law.justia.com/codes/rhode-island/2009/title-28/chapter-28-6-1/28-6-1-1/ (b) "Written examinations ... are not used to form the primary basis for an employment decision").
     

    3) Integrity testing is typically discussed as a preemployment selection tool.  Is it ever used among current employees?

    One comment:

    There are tests that are specifically geared for use with employees (e.g., developed and normed on employees). Some are used for evaluating employees for within organizational moves (e.g., placement, promotions). Others are not used for decision making about specific employees but  are used to help benchmark branches, divisions, locations etc. of the same organization.

    Mike Frone

    ****************************************************************
    Michael R. Frone, Ph.D.
    Senior Research Scientist
    Research Institute on Addictions
    State University of New York at Buffalo
    1021 Main Street
    Buffalo, New York 14203

    Office:    716-887-2519
    Fax:        716-887-2477
    E-mail:     frone@ria.buffalo.edu
    Internet:     http://www.ria.buffalo.edu/profiles/frone.html
    *******************************************************************



  • 4.  integrity testing

    Posted 10-28-2011 15:55
    It might be work contacting the National Retail Federation since this iindustry was called out. Perhaps NRF, or its Loss Prevention section, has data about use of integrity testing by its member businesses, either pre or post hire.
    Heather Wishik
    Heather Wishik Consulting

    Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

    From: Michael Frone <frone@RIA.BUFFALO.EDU>
    Sender: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv <OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
    Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:22:07 -0400
    ReplyTo: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv <OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
    Subject: [OB-LIST] integrity testing


    Hello,

    I had a few questions about integrity testing:

    1) Are there any data on the prevalence of use among organizations?

    2) Is integrity testing regulated by any federal or state laws?

    3) Integrity testing is typically discussed as a preemployment selection tool.  Is it ever used among current employees?

    Thanks for any help,
    Mike Frone

    ****************************************************************
    Michael R. Frone, Ph.D.
    Senior Research Scientist
    Research Institute on Addictions
    State University of New York at Buffalo
    1021 Main Street
    Buffalo, New York 14203

    Office:    716-887-2519
    Fax:        716-887-2477
    E-mail:     frone@ria.buffalo.edu
    Internet:     http://www.ria.buffalo.edu/profiles/frone.html
    ***************************************************************


  • 5.  integrity testing

    Posted 10-29-2011 09:39
    I don't think it is wise to accept as credible the findings of any meta-analysis of integrity test validity because none have reported publication bias analyses and the authors of the primary studies typically have financial interests in the outcomes of the studies.  I have examined two of the personality-based integrity tests which have supplied data to existing meta-analyses. I examined the data reported in the test manuals for publication bias. Both sets of analyses yielded evidence consistent with an inference of publication bias suggesting that the validities may be lower, sometimes substantially lower, than offered by the test publishers.

    Test vendors should remove the obstacles to independent reviews of their products. A disturbing trend among large test publishers is the requirement that researchers sign confidentiality or other legal agreements prior to receiving test validity data. Why are validity data considered secret?  If one has a product that works well, why not place the validity information (all of the validity information), on the test vendor's web site? Both the Standards and the Principles require test publishers to report all their data. If the test vendors profess to behaving professionally, why are they not behaving consistently with the requirements of professional guidelines of their profession?

    Separate from concerns about publication bias in these data, consider the data on self-reports. Personality tests ask relatively non-intrusive questions about one's typical behavior and these tests typically result in relatively low validities. Integrity tests, at least non-personality based integrity tests, ask intrusive questions such as how much one steals and whether they know of others who steal. Can one seriously expect to get useful levels of prediction from self-serving responses to these questions?

    Best wishes,

    Mike

    Michael A. McDaniel, Ph.D.
    Professor - Human Resources and
    Organizational Behavior
    Department of Management, Research Professor, Department of Psychology
    Virginia Commonwealth University
    301 West Main Street, , PO Box 844000
    Richmond, VA 23284-4000

    http://www.people.vcu.edu/~mamcdani/
    voice: 804.827.0209
    e-mail:     MAMcDani@vcu.edu
    skype: MichaelAMcDaniel

    		Doctoral Program in Management

    The Management Department of the VCU School of Business offers a Ph.D. in Business. Participating faculty with research interests in OB and HR include: Ron Humphrey, Sven Kepes, Michael McDaniel, In-Sue Oh, Doug Pugh, & Anson Seers.

    Students with interest in the doctoral program, should contact Anson Seers.




  • 6.  integrity testing

    Posted 10-29-2011 14:27
    Dear Colleagues,
     
    Mike make great observations here. I wonder how valuable integrity tests are in the business world! Some government agencies might enjoy lots of leeway in the application of these tests. But is this possible in buiness? Can an employer tell a potential employee that he or she would not be hired because an integrity test shows a very low score and not be exposed to a lawsuit? Or is it that in business a company waits until an employee does something dishonest and then take action against that employee? Another question I have is about integrity itself -is it a personality trait? A dishonest person would be dishonest in all situations? Or these acts are something situational?
     
    Anecdote: A few decades ago, a friend of mine was rejected by a company in South America because he scored low on marital stability in a personality test. Then I was invited to apply and I passed with flying colors, even though I was on my first divorce already! This always makes me wonder!
     
    Thanks,
     
    Ivan
     
     

    Dr. R. Ivan Blanco                                                
    Department of Management
    McCoy College of Business Administration 
    Texas State Univeristy - San Marcos
    San Marcos, TX 78666
    Voice (512) 245-1842  -  Fax (512) 245-2850 
    E-mail  rb39@txstate.edu
     
    "Las naciones marchan hacia el término de su grandeza, con el mismo paso que camina su educación."
    "Nations march toward their greatness at the same pace as their educational systems evolve." -- Simon Bolivar

     
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Michael A McDaniel/AC/VCU [mamcdani@VCU.EDU]
    Sent: Saturday, October 29, 2011 8:39 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] integrity testing

    I don't think it is wise to accept as credible the findings of any meta-analysis of integrity test validity because none have reported publication bias analyses and the authors of the primary studies typically have financial interests in the outcomes of the studies.  I have examined two of the personality-based integrity tests which have supplied data to existing meta-analyses. I examined the data reported in the test manuals for publication bias. Both sets of analyses yielded evidence consistent with an inference of publication bias suggesting that the validities may be lower, sometimes substantially lower, than offered by the test publishers.

    Test vendors should remove the obstacles to independent reviews of their products. A disturbing trend among large test publishers is the requirement that researchers sign confidentiality or other legal agreements prior to receiving test validity data. Why are validity data considered secret?  If one has a product that works well, why not place the validity information (all of the validity information), on the test vendor's web site? Both the Standards and the Principles require test publishers to report all their data. If the test vendors profess to behaving professionally, why are they not behaving consistently with the requirements of professional guidelines of their profession?

    Separate from concerns about publication bias in these data, consider the data on self-reports. Personality tests ask relatively non-intrusive questions about one's typical behavior and these tests typically result in relatively low validities. Integrity tests, at least non-personality based integrity tests, ask intrusive questions such as how much one steals and whether they know of others who steal. Can one seriously expect to get useful levels of prediction from self-serving responses to these questions?

    Best wishes,

    Mike

    Michael A. McDaniel, Ph.D.
    Professor - Human Resources and
    Organizational Behavior
    Department of Management, Research Professor, Department of Psychology
    Virginia Commonwealth University
    301 West Main Street, , PO Box 844000
    Richmond, VA 23284-4000

    http://www.people.vcu.edu/~mamcdani/
    voice: 804.827.0209
    e-mail:     MAMcDani@vcu.edu
    skype: MichaelAMcDaniel

    		Doctoral Program in Management

    The Management Department of the VCU School of Business offers a Ph.D. in Business. Participating faculty with research interests in OB and HR include: Ron Humphrey, Sven Kepes, Michael McDaniel, In-Sue Oh, Doug Pugh, & Anson Seers.

    Students with interest in the doctoral program, should contact Anson Seers.



  • 7.  integrity testing

    Posted 10-29-2011 16:45

    For further information on integrity testing in personnel selection see, for example:

     

    ·         INTEGRITY TESTING FOR PERSONNEL SELECTION: AN UPDATE

    1.     PAUL R. SACKETT1,*,

    2.     LAURA R. BURRIS2,

    3.     CHRISTINE CALLAHAN2

    Personnel Psychology

    Volume 42, Issue 3, pages 491–529, September 1989

     

    ·         NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE USE OF MEASURES OF HONESTY INTEGRITY, CONSCIENTIOUSNESS, DEPENDABILITY TRUSTWORTHINESS, AND RELIABILITY FOR PERSONNEL SELECTION

    1.     PAUL R. SACKETT1,*,

    2.     JAMES E. WANEK1,2

    Article first published online: 7 DEC 2006

    DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.1996.tb02450.x

    Issue

     

    Personnel Psychology

    Volume 49, Issue 4, pages 787–829, December 1996

     

    TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF INTEGRITY TEST SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES: AN ITEM-LEVEL ANALYSIS OF SEVEN TESTS

    1.     JAMES E. WANEK1,*,

    2.     PAUL R. SACKETT2,

    3.     DENIZ S. ONES1

    Article first published online: 7 DEC 2006

    DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.2003.tb00243.x

    Issue

     

    Personnel Psychology

    Volume 56, Issue 4, pages 873–894, December 2003

     

    Benjamin Schneider, Ph.D.

    Senior Research Fellow, VALTERA

    Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland

    1363 Caminito Floreo, Suite G

    La Jolla, CA 92037

    tel/fx: 858-488-7594

    bschneider@valtera.com

     

    www.valtera.com

    Experts in Employee Surveys, 360 Feedback, Selection, and Individual Assessment

     

    Chicago Corporate Office:

    Valtera Corporation

    1701 Golf Rd., Ste 3-900

    Rolling Meadows, IL 60008-4257

     

    This email and attachments, if included, may contain material that is

    confidential. This material is intended for the sole use of the individual

    or entity to whom it is addressed. If you received this message in error,

    please contact the sender and delete all copies.

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Blanco, R Ivan
    Sent: Saturday, October 29, 2011 11:27 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] integrity testing

     

    Dear Colleagues,

     

    Mike make great observations here. I wonder how valuable integrity tests are in the business world! Some government agencies might enjoy lots of leeway in the application of these tests. But is this possible in buiness? Can an employer tell a potential employee that he or she would not be hired because an integrity test shows a very low score and not be exposed to a lawsuit? Or is it that in business a company waits until an employee does something dishonest and then take action against that employee? Another question I have is about integrity itself -is it a personality trait? A dishonest person would be dishonest in all situations? Or these acts are something situational?

     

    Anecdote: A few decades ago, a friend of mine was rejected by a company in South America because he scored low on marital stability in a personality test. Then I was invited to apply and I passed with flying colors, even though I was on my first divorce already! This always makes me wonder!

     

    Thanks,

     

    Ivan

     

     

    Dr. R. Ivan Blanco                                                
    Department of Management
    McCoy College of Business Administration 
    Texas State Univeristy - San Marcos
    San Marcos, TX 78666
    Voice (512) 245-1842  -  Fax (512) 245-2850 
    E-mail  rb39@txstate.edu
     
    "Las naciones marchan hacia el término de su grandeza, con el mismo paso que camina su educación."
    "Nations march toward their greatness at the same pace as their educational systems evolve." -- Simon Bolivar

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Michael A McDaniel/AC/VCU [mamcdani@VCU.EDU]
    Sent: Saturday, October 29, 2011 8:39 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] integrity testing

    I don't think it is wise to accept as credible the findings of any meta-analysis of integrity test validity because none have reported publication bias analyses and the authors of the primary studies typically have financial interests in the outcomes of the studies.  I have examined two of the personality-based integrity tests which have supplied data to existing meta-analyses. I examined the data reported in the test manuals for publication bias. Both sets of analyses yielded evidence consistent with an inference of publication bias suggesting that the validities may be lower, sometimes substantially lower, than offered by the test publishers.

    Test vendors should remove the obstacles to independent reviews of their products. A disturbing trend among large test publishers is the requirement that researchers sign confidentiality or other legal agreements prior to receiving test validity data. Why are validity data considered secret?  If one has a product that works well, why not place the validity information (all of the validity information), on the test vendor's web site? Both the Standards and the Principles require test publishers to report all their data. If the test vendors profess to behaving professionally, why are they not behaving consistently with the requirements of professional guidelines of their profession?

    Separate from concerns about publication bias in these data, consider the data on self-reports. Personality tests ask relatively non-intrusive questions about one's typical behavior and these tests typically result in relatively low validities. Integrity tests, at least non-personality based integrity tests, ask intrusive questions such as how much one steals and whether they know of others who steal. Can one seriously expect to get useful levels of prediction from self-serving responses to these questions?

    Best wishes,

    Mike

    Michael A. McDaniel, Ph.D.
    Professor - Human Resources and
    Organizational Behavior
    Department of Management, Research Professor, Department of Psychology
    Virginia Commonwealth University
    301 West Main Street, , PO Box 844000
    Richmond, VA 23284-4000

    http://www.people.vcu.edu/~mamcdani/
    voice: 804.827.0209
    e-mail: MAMcDani@vcu.edu
    skype: MichaelAMcDaniel

    Doctoral Program in Management

    The Management Department of the VCU School of Business offers a Ph.D. in Business. Participating faculty with research interests in OB and HR include: Ron Humphrey, Sven Kepes, Michael McDaniel, In-Sue Oh, Doug Pugh, & Anson Seers.

    Students with interest in the doctoral program, should contact Anson Seers.

     



  • 8.  integrity testing

    Posted 10-31-2011 09:28

    Many companies use credit scores (which could arguably be a proxy for, or even a form of, an integrity test) in hiring decisions.  The Wall Street Journal article at the link below says that 60% of companies use credit scores in at least some hiring decisions.  This article also describes new ways credit scores and other readily available personal information is being used to predict behavior.

     

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203687504576655182086300912.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

     

     

    Amy J. Guerber

    Management PhD Candidate

    Sam M. Walton College of Business

    University of Arkansas

    479-575-6105

    aguerber@uark.edu

     

     

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Blanco, R Ivan
    Sent: Saturday, October 29, 2011 1:27 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] integrity testing

     

    Dear Colleagues,

     

    Mike make great observations here. I wonder how valuable integrity tests are in the business world! Some government agencies might enjoy lots of leeway in the application of these tests. But is this possible in buiness? Can an employer tell a potential employee that he or she would not be hired because an integrity test shows a very low score and not be exposed to a lawsuit? Or is it that in business a company waits until an employee does something dishonest and then take action against that employee? Another question I have is about integrity itself -is it a personality trait? A dishonest person would be dishonest in all situations? Or these acts are something situational?

     

    Anecdote: A few decades ago, a friend of mine was rejected by a company in South America because he scored low on marital stability in a personality test. Then I was invited to apply and I passed with flying colors, even though I was on my first divorce already! This always makes me wonder!

     

    Thanks,

     

    Ivan

     

     

    Dr. R. Ivan Blanco                                                
    Department of Management
    McCoy College of Business Administration 
    Texas State Univeristy - San Marcos
    San Marcos, TX 78666
    Voice (512) 245-1842  -  Fax (512) 245-2850 
    E-mail  rb39@txstate.edu
     
    "Las naciones marchan hacia el término de su grandeza, con el mismo paso que camina su educación."
    "Nations march toward their greatness at the same pace as their educational systems evolve." -- Simon Bolivar

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Michael A McDaniel/AC/VCU [mamcdani@VCU.EDU]
    Sent: Saturday, October 29, 2011 8:39 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] integrity testing

    I don't think it is wise to accept as credible the findings of any meta-analysis of integrity test validity because none have reported publication bias analyses and the authors of the primary studies typically have financial interests in the outcomes of the studies.  I have examined two of the personality-based integrity tests which have supplied data to existing meta-analyses. I examined the data reported in the test manuals for publication bias. Both sets of analyses yielded evidence consistent with an inference of publication bias suggesting that the validities may be lower, sometimes substantially lower, than offered by the test publishers.

    Test vendors should remove the obstacles to independent reviews of their products. A disturbing trend among large test publishers is the requirement that researchers sign confidentiality or other legal agreements prior to receiving test validity data. Why are validity data considered secret?  If one has a product that works well, why not place the validity information (all of the validity information), on the test vendor's web site? Both the Standards and the Principles require test publishers to report all their data. If the test vendors profess to behaving professionally, why are they not behaving consistently with the requirements of professional guidelines of their profession?

    Separate from concerns about publication bias in these data, consider the data on self-reports. Personality tests ask relatively non-intrusive questions about one's typical behavior and these tests typically result in relatively low validities. Integrity tests, at least non-personality based integrity tests, ask intrusive questions such as how much one steals and whether they know of others who steal. Can one seriously expect to get useful levels of prediction from self-serving responses to these questions?

    Best wishes,

    Mike

    Michael A. McDaniel, Ph.D.
    Professor - Human Resources and
    Organizational Behavior
    Department of Management, Research Professor, Department of Psychology
    Virginia Commonwealth University
    301 West Main Street, , PO Box 844000
    Richmond, VA 23284-4000

    http://www.people.vcu.edu/~mamcdani/
    voice: 804.827.0209
    e-mail: MAMcDani@vcu.edu
    skype: MichaelAMcDaniel

    Doctoral Program in Management

    The Management Department of the VCU School of Business offers a Ph.D. in Business. Participating faculty with research interests in OB and HR include: Ron Humphrey, Sven Kepes, Michael McDaniel, In-Sue Oh, Doug Pugh, & Anson Seers.

    Students with interest in the doctoral program, should contact Anson Seers.