Aptitude diagnostics

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aptitude diagnostics is a collective term for principles, procedures and procedures for recording competencies and behavioral tendencies with reference to educational paths or professional activities.

Basically, the aptitude diagnostics should enable the most accurate possible prediction of the likelihood of success in achieving certain goals or the satisfaction of a person with specific tasks, educational paths or professions. With regard to the certification of competencies, one generally speaks of proof of suitability (see the overview of the certificate ).

Fields of application

Aptitude diagnostics are used for decisions or recommendations on selection, placement or classification. Important fields of application are:

Approaches to aptitude diagnostics

In the aptitude diagnostics there are several approaches for recording and assessing the suitability of an applicant: the trait, the simulation and the biography approach. Each of the approaches follows an "independent validation logic and [uses] specific methods for recording characteristics". Meaningful aptitude testing is always a process. "A procedure is planned on the basis of the requirements, procedures are appropriately and economically combined and the relevant and meaningful analyzes and considerations are carried out. The evaluation of the procedure is the cornerstone for further development and optimization".

Property approach

This approach focuses on the assessment of relatively stable traits and general cognitive abilities using psychological test procedures (e.g. intelligence or ability to concentrate, personality traits, attitudes, interests, etc.), which are assumed to be the basis for a person's success form.

The tests used here are also called “constructor-oriented procedures”, since deeper-lying characteristics are to be ascertained here according to psychological constructs (theoretical ideas). The validity of the test results collected in this way ( validation logic ) is measured here against the so-called construct validity .

Simulation approach

With the simulation approach, concrete situations of typical everyday work are used to determine the applicant's behavior in such situations. The realistic simulation of such tasks or problems is intended to record the applicant's performance in the event of specific professional challenges. In the simulation approach, the content validity plays a major role: it has to determine to what extent the central elements of the professional activity are represented by the given task.

Well-known examples are group discussions , inbox exercises and work samples . Recently, computer-aided problem simulations have also been used frequently.

Biographical approach

By analyzing past-related characteristics (education, special knowledge, professional experience, job references, etc.), a prediction of future behavior is to be made from previous behavior. However, unlike the property approach is here directly from behavior to behavior closed - without having to use an assumed, underlying property (like "intelligence" or "social desirability") to make: Who has proved in the past that he solution-oriented, for example, works, will probably continue to do so in the future. Typical procedures for collecting biographical data are application documents , biographical questionnaires or the application interview . The accuracy of the prediction of future behavior (or performance, satisfaction) based on the biographical data is determined using the prognostic criterion validity . This means that it is checked to what extent the recruited applicants later correspond to their individual prediction (e.g. actually work in a problem-solving manner).

Trimodal approach

The trimodal approach means the joint use of the three other approaches and should therefore enable a multifaceted view of an applicant. Using all three diagnostic approaches is optimal because a complete diagnosis can only be made through the use of several different procedures. The trimodal approach enables the recording of many relevant facets of the characteristic areas of interest.

Aptitude diagnostic procedures

More or less scientifically based methods are used in the context of aptitude diagnostics. From the simple observation of manual skills to the complex analysis of stress management and leadership performance, aptitude diagnostics are used to predict the probability of success and the professional satisfaction of a person in a defined position.

The requirements for aptitude diagnostic examinations and their use are regulated in the DIN standard DIN 33430 , which was last updated in 2016.

According to DIN 33430 "suitability diagnostics", processes are divided into various process classes with different requirements:

  • Document analysis (with analysis of certificates, curriculum vitae, etc.)
  • Interviews ( job interviews , but also interviews with e.g. reference providers)
  • Behavioral observation procedures (e.g. role play, simulations, work samples such as business cases)
  • Questionnaires based on measurement theory ( personality questionnaires , interest questionnaires)
  • Tests based on measurement theory ( intelligence test , knowledge test, situational judgment tests)

The assessment center is not a procedure in the actual sense, but a setting in which different procedures are combined.

Dubious proceedings

In the following, procedures in aptitude diagnostics are mentioned that are used in practice, the benefits of which are scientifically extremely questionable or have not been scientifically proven:

literature

  • Harald Ackerschott, Norbert Gantner, Günter Schmitt: Aptitude diagnostics: qualified personnel decisions according to DIN 33430 (= Beuth comment ). Beuth, Berlin 2016, ISBN 978-3-410-26208-4 . (With checklists, planning aids, application examples)
  • Mechthild John, Günter W. Maier (ed.): Aptitude diagnostics in personnel work. Basics, methods, experiences . symposion, Düsseldorf 2007, ISBN 978-3-936608-73-1 .
  • Uwe Peter Kanning: Personnel Selection Between Demands and Reality - A Business Psychological Analysis. Springer, Berlin 2015, ISBN 978-3-662-45552-4 .
  • Uwe Peter Kanning: From cranial interpreters and other charlatans: dubious methods of psychodiagnostics. Pabst, Lengerich 2010.
  • Werner Sarges (Ed.): Management Diagnostics. 4th, completely revised and exp. Edition. Hogrefe, Göttingen 2013, ISBN 978-3-8017-2385-9 .
  • Werner Sarges, David Scheffer (Ed.): Innovative approaches for aptitude diagnostics . Hogrefe, Göttingen 2008, ISBN 978-3-8017-2182-4 .
  • Werner Sarges, Heinrich Wottawa (ed.): Handbook of economic psychological test procedures. Volume I: Personal Psychological Instruments. 2., revised. u. exp. Edition. Pabst, Lengerich 2004, ISBN 3-935357-55-9 . ( Introduction by the editors ; PDF, 115 kB)
  • Heinz Schuler : Psychological personnel selection. 4th, fully ext. Edition. Verlag for applied psychology, Göttingen 2014, ISBN 978-3-8017-1864-0 .
  • Heinz Schuler: Textbook of Personnel Psychology. 3rd, revised. and exp. Edition. Hogrefe, Göttingen 2014, ISBN 978-3-8017-2363-7 .
  • Karl Westhoff et al. (Ed.): Basic knowledge for job-related suitability assessment according to DIN 33430. 3rd edition. Pabst, Lengerich 2010.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ H. Schuler: Psychological personnel selection. 2001, p. 95.
  2. ↑ H. Ackerschott et al.: Aptitude diagnostics: qualified personnel decisions according to DIN 33430. 2016, p. 18.
  3. ↑ https://www.haufe.de/personal/hr-management/eignungsdiagnostik-warUNGEN-von-prof-heinz-schuler_80_457502.html
  4. ↑ Uwe Peter Kanning: Diagnosis between incompetence and charlatanism: phenomenon, causes, perspectives. In: Report Psychology. 37, 2010, pp. 100-113.
  5. ↑ Obscure personnel selection. In: Spiegel Online , May 4, 2010.
  6. ↑ Bärbel Schwertfeger: Personnel selection by language test. In: Personalmagazin . Issue 12/2015, pp. 32–34.
  7. ↑ https://www.haufe.de/personal/hr-management/sprachanalyse-eine-neue- Methode-der- personalwahl_80_453994.html
  8. ↑ https://www.wirtschaftspsychologie-aktuell.de/fachbuch/20180425-klaus-stulle-psychologische-diagnostik-durch-sprachanalyse.html
  9. ↑ M. Kersting: The business with gullibility. Book review by: UP Kanning: Of skull interpreters and other charlatans. Dubious methods of psychodiagnostics. In: Personnel Management. 8, 2010, pp. 122-123.