Computerized adaptive testing in industrial and organizational psychology

The overarching goal of this dissertation is to increase the precision and efficiency of the measurement tools that are used to make selection decisions in industrial/organizational psychology, by introducing psychometric innovations in the framework of computerized adaptive testing (CAT). Chapter 1 presents a general introduction to CAT and item response theory (IRT). Chapter 2 illustrates an automatic online calibration design that can be used in adaptive testing. The method makes it more attractive for respondents to participate during calibration, and increases the speed with which a CAT item bank can be calibrated. Chapter 3 demonstrates a straightforward method for conducting a test of measurement invariance and illustrates a method for modeling differential item functioning by assigning group-specific item parameters in the framework of IRT. Chapter 4 illustrates a method for verifying the results of an unproctored Internet test by using an extension of the stochastic curtailed truncated sequential probability ratio test (SCTSPRT). Simulation studies indicated that the SCTSPRT was almost four times shorter than a linear testing method while maintaining the same power of detection. Chapters 5 and 6 investigate the possibility of increasing the precision and shortening the test length of typical employment tests by efficiently administering and scoring items with multidimensional computerized adaptive testing (MCAT). Chapter 5 explores the possibility of using MCAT for administering and scoring the Adjustable Competence Evaluation; a computer adaptive cognitive ability test used in organizational selection. Chapter 6 explores the potential of administering and scoring items with MCAT for the NEO PI-R; a widely used personality test

Unproctored internet test verification: Using adaptive confirmation testing

Unproctored Internet testing (UIT) is commonly used in employment test administration. When the test is high stakes, the International Guidelines on Computer-Based and Internet-Delivered Testing recommend to follow up the results with a confirmation test in a controlled setting. This article proposes and compares two methods for detecting whether a test taker’s original UIT responses are consistent with the responses from a follow-up confirmation test. The first method is a fixed length adaptive confirmation test using the likelihood ratio (LR) test to evaluate cheating and the second method is a variable length adaptive confirmation test using an extension of the stochastic curtailed truncated sequential probability ratio test (SCTSPRT) to evaluate cheating. Simulation studies indicated that the adaptive confirmation test using the SCTSPRT was almost four times shorter while maintaining the same detection power. The study also demonstrated that cheating can have a detrimental effect on the validity of a selection procedure and illustrated that the use of a confirmation test can remedy the negative effect of cheating on validity

El conejo valiente

Victoria Rodrigo, PhD- Serie Leamos’ EditorProfessor of Spanish World Languages and Cultures DepartmentGeorgia State Universityhttps://scholarworks.gsu.edu/wcl_leamos/1020/thumbnail.jp

A self-administered virtual reality intervention increases COVID-19 vaccination intention

Effective interventions for increasing people's intention to get vaccinated are crucial for global health, especially considering COVID-19. We devised a novel intervention using virtual reality (VR) consisting of a consultation with a general practitioner for communicating the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination and, in turn, increasing the intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19. We conducted a preregistered online experiment with a 2×2 between-participant design. People with eligible VR headsets were invited to install our experimental application and complete the ten minute virtual consultation study at their own discretion. Participants were randomly assigned across two age conditions (young or old self-body) and two communication conditions (with provision of personal benefit of vaccination only, or collective and personal benefit). The primary outcome was vaccination intention (score range 1–100) measured three times: immediately before and after the study, as well as one week later. Five-hundred-and-seven adults not vaccinated against COVID-19 were recruited. Among the 282 participants with imperfect vaccination intentions (<100), the VR intervention increased pre-to-post vaccination intentions across intervention conditions (mean difference 8.6, 95% CI 6.1 to 11.1,p<0.0001). The pre-to-post difference significantly correlated with the vaccination intention one week later, ρ=0.20,p<0.0001. The VR intervention was effective in increasing COVID-19 vaccination intentions both when only personal benefits and personal and collective benefits of vaccination were communicated, with significant retention one week after the intervention. Utilizing recent evidence from health psychology and embodiment research to develop immersive environments with customized and salient communication efforts could therefore be an effective tool to complement public health campaigns.ISSN:0264-410XISSN:1358-874

Assessing the influence of visual-taste congruency on perceived sweetness and product liking in immersive VR

This study was designed to assess whether the combined effect of taste-congruent and incongruent extrinsic visual cues presented in virtual reality (VR) influences the perception of sweetness and product liking. Three VR environments (sweet-congruent, sweet-incongruent, and neutral) were created based on the evidence in existing literature. Participants tasted the same beverage in three VR environments and evaluated the environment and beverage liking, as well as perceived taste intensity (sweetness, sourness, and bitterness), congruency, comfort, and environment vividness. Frontal EEG alpha asymmetry (FAA) was also recorded as a complementary physiological measurement of overall liking. The results showed that the perceived sweetness of the beverage was significantly elevated in a sweet-congruent environment versus the other environments. Visual-taste congruency did not seem to have an effect on beverage liking and overall liking, whereas an increase in environment liking was found in the incongruent environment versus the other environments. These findings confirmed the significant influence of taste-specific visual cues on flavour perception, while the successful use of VR in the study provided insight into future applications of taste-specific VR environment in the modulation of flavour perception and sugar reduction