Personality attributes that predict cadet performance at West Point

Using data from the United States Military Academy at West Point (N = 1102 and N = 1049) from two successive years, we examined psychological measures of cadets and the correlations of those measures with consequential outcomes such as cadet performance and leadership potential. We examined four broad intelligences, two of which were thing-focused (spatial and mathematical) and two people-focused (verbal and personal intelligences) and their predictions to thing- and people-centered courses (e.g., chemistry versus psychology). We found support for a thing-people differential in reasoning. The broad intelligences and the Big Five personality traits also predicted academic and other performance criteria at consequential levels

We Are What We Generate - Understanding Ourselves Through Our Data

AbstractWe have tendency to exhibit ourselves through the data we share about ourselves including, liking, friendship, follows, disliking, pictures, audio, videos, causes, blogs and sites. Such data about us have already been used by big data companies to create customized ads and marketing tactics. However, while such data being in unstructured and noisy format, utilization and research is at its early stages. In this paper, we elaborate on the idea of understanding individuals through lens of data they produce in context of our main research work for Predicting Educational Relevance For an Efficient Classification of Talent (PERFECT) algorithm engine. We illustrate some of research problems in relevance of such data and identify research problem as ground for this paper. We present sub set of our framework including algorithm and math constructs, for the problem we identify. We conclude that such analytics and cognitive research can help to improve education, healthcare, Job economy, crime control, etc. Thus we coin the phrase “we are what we generate”, with our work in this paper. We suggest future work and opportunities in relevant directions

Modeling Socially Desirable Responding and Its Effects

The impact of socially desirable responding or faking on noncognitive assessments remains an issue of strong debate. One of the main reasons for the controversy is the lack of a statistical method to model such response sets. This article introduces a new way to model faking based on the assumption that faking occurs due to an interaction between person and situation. The technique combines a control group design with structural equation modeling and allows a separation of trait and faking variance. The model is introduced and tested in an example. The results confirm a causal nfluence of faking on means and covariance structure of a Big 5 questionnaire. Both effects can be reversed by the proposed model. Finally, a real-life criterion was implemented and predicted by both variance sources. In this example, it was the trait but not the faking variance that was predictive. Implications for research and practice are discussed

Incremental validity of assessment centre exercise ratings over and above general mental ability and personality traits in predicting financial intermediaries regulatory examination success and sales performance

The present study explored the optimal selection of financial intermediaries in the South African insurance services industry. We examined the potential predictive value of competency-based selection assessment centre (AC) exercises, when used in combination with other traditional measures (e.g., interviews, work style interest questionnaire, general mental ability and personality traits) in an incremental validity study. Moreover, the study expanded the criterion domain by considering prediction models for multiple outcome measures, including examination success of intermediaries and their objective sales performance. The sample consisted of 425 intermediaries in the middle and affluent market segments in South Africa. We reduced the large number of potential predictors through principle component analysis and subsequently conducted hierarchical regression analysis. Results showed that when the independent variables were restricted to correlating predictors as part of the further analysis, assessment centre exercises, especially the role-play, had a significant incremental effect (ΔR²=.07, �� .05). The work style questionnaire (ΔR² = .03, p < .05) and interview (ΔR² = .012, p < .05) selection measures incremented both AC exercises and personality traits in predicting sales performance. The study contributes to our understanding of predictor combinations when academic and objective performance criteria are considered in a specific applied setting (e.g., a niche industry). The practical implications of the findings are that the validity of the assessment centre exercises together with other measures could be enhanced since it can predict different aspects of performance

Integrated Factors Correlating Undergraduate Academic Achievement in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

The consistent poor academic performance of students in public secondary schools can be regarded as a serious social problem because a number of scholars, stakeholders in education, school administrator, and public commentators have concluded that students‘ academic performance in public secondary schools falls short of the desired standard. Thus, it is study investigated the integrated factors determining academic performance of students in public secondary schools in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The descriptive survey research design was adopted and purposive sampling technique was used to select Sagbama educational zone with a population of over 2506 students and 800 teachers. 80 teachers and 242 students were randomly selected from eight public secondary schools to participate in the study. A peer validated questionnaire tagged ―Integrated Factors and Students‘ Academic Achievement (EFSAP)‖ r =.92 was used for data collection. Four research questions were raised and data collected were analyzed with the use of simple percentage counts. Results revealed that integrated factors had positive impact on students‘ academic performance. The following integrated factors were found to have contributed relatively to the academic achievement of students in an order of magnitudes; teachers, societal, economic, government, parental, peer group, and individual students factors. It was recommended that teachers and the civil society at large play their role in contributing positively to the academic performance of students‘ in public secondary schools in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Personality traits, self -efficacy of job performance, and susceptibility to stress as predictors of academic performance of nurse education programs

The United States is experiencing a shortage of registered nurses, and institutions of higher education are unable to graduate enough prepared nurses to reduce this employment shortage. A significant relationship between personality traits and academic performance has been found; however, how personality traits combine with students\u27 self-efficacy of job performance and stress susceptibility to impact nursing students\u27 academic performance has yet to be demonstrated. This study, grounded in the five-factor model (FFM) of personality traits, self-efficacy, and stress theories, sought to determine whether self-assessments of the NEO-Five Factor Inventory, the Nursing Practice Self-Efficacy survey, and the Susceptibility Under Stress Survey would predict academic performance, as measured by grade point average (GPA). The sample consisted of 197 nursing students attending 2-year nurse education programs at 3 community colleges in the northeastern United States. This correlational, quantitative study examined the relationship among the personality traits of the FFM, self-efficacy of job performance, stress susceptibility, and the GPAs of nursing students. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the strength of the relationship among the variables. Self-efficacy and conscientiousness were significant predictors of GPA. Given that nurse education programs are a rigorous field of study with high attrition rates, the implications for social change include the addition of specific types of support for nursing students to facilitate their progress and success in a competitive degree program that will benefit them and address the nursing shortage, which ultimately benefits hospitals and patients