The effects of response instructions on situational judgment test performance in a high-stakes employment context

Thesis (M.A., Psychology (Industrial/Organizational Psychology))-- California State University, Sacramento, 2013.The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of response instructions on situational judgment test (SJT) performance. Participants (N = 2,224) completed one of two forms of a 15 item SJT test as part of an entry-level firefighter selection test. Eight ofthe SJT items on Form A used knowledge instructions (what should you do) and 7 used behavioral tendency instructions (what would you do). On Form B, the same items were used, but for each item the ???should??? versus ???would??? response instructions were reversed relative to Form A. No significant differences were found for mean scores by instruction type within or between subjects. Additionally, no significant differences were found in the SJT items??? correlations with cognitive ability by instruction type. These results are in direct contrast to those found in previous studies involving low-stakes situations. Limitations and theoretical implications of the findings were also discussed.Psychology (Industrial/Organizational Psychology