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Rethinking Cognitive Skills Testing for New Hires and Promotions

Guest post by: Ben Nash

Article Overview: Hiring managers need to make accurate assessments about the cognitive capabilities of potential new hires and those up for promotion (e.g. handling complex information, identifying priorities, and making effective decisions). A hundred years of IQ testing has, however, distorted the image of cognitive assessment to the point where it has largely gone out of favor. No single score can reflect the complex interaction of cognitive, motivational, psychological and contextual factors that impact on thinking.

Rethinking Cognitive Skills Testing for New Hires and Promotions

Hiring managers need to make accurate assessments about the cognitive capabilities of potential new hires and those up for promotion (e.g. handling complex information, identifying priorities, and making effective decisions). A hundred years of IQ testing has, however, distorted the image of cognitive assessment to the point where it has largely gone out of favor. No single score can reflect the complex interaction of cognitive, motivational, psychological and contextual factors that impact on thinking. Thus, cognitive assessment should accommodate for far more than the linear, logical-analytical thinking measured by IQ tests. Another “elephant in the room” with I.Q. testing is cross-cultural validity. The vast majority of I.Q. tests are written for and by people from Western European and American cultures. An alternative approach to traditional I.Q. testing is the Cognitive Process Profile (CPP). The CPP was developed to address the above issues and this assessment uses a number of techniques intended to reduce the impact of cross-cultural factors, for example:

• “Thinking processes” as opposed to “verbal and non-verbal reasoning” outcomes are measured
• Instead of requiring only logical-analytical thinking, the CPP allows for different cultural backgrounds and personality dispositions by accommodating for 15 different cognitive orientations, or styles
• Provision is made for the individual to capitalize on auditory, visual and to some extent, kinesthetic modalities
• Educational background influences are limited via the design of the methodology
• Language requirements are low with no special credits given to grammar, vocabulary, etc.
• Rater subjectivity is limited
• Although computerized, the test is devised for people who are not computer literate

If you are interested in testing for the ability of new hires or people up for promotion to handle information effectively and make sound decisions (particularly important in mid to senior management positions) then check out the Cognitive Processes Profile—the results can provide critical insights that can predict success (or the alternative) for a candidate.

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Article Tags: accurate assessments, american cultures, analytical thinking, cognitive assessment, cognitive capabilities, cognitive process, contextual factors, dispositions, educational background, elephant, hiring managers, hundred years, iq testing, language requirements, li li, new hires, orientations, subjectivity, verbal reasoning, vocabulary



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