As is the case with many domains of organisational behaviour, occupational stress research has for many years been characterised by the use of self-report methodologies, in particular the written questionnaire, as the primary means of data collection. Reliance on self-report for the measurement of both dependent and independent variables raises concern about the validity of causal conclusions for a range of reasons, including systematic response distortions, method variance and monomethod bias, and the psychometric properties (reliability and validity) of questionnaire scales. Beyond the immediate features of questionnaires, there is also concern about the context in which self-report measures are used, in terms of the design of studies, as well as the statistical treatment of questionnaire data at the analysis stage. Each of these themes is addressed from the perspective of the occupational stress literature, with a view to highlighting key areas for consideration in relation to planning and interpreting research. It is also suggested that most of these issues have wider relevance in the field of organisational behaviour, namely in those domains which focus on perceptual and attitudinal variables, which could benefit from similar methodological attention

Psychometric testing is widely used outside medicine as part of an employee selection process, although its use has attracted a great deal of criticism too. In the NHS, psychometric tests are often used for selection of mangers and a growing number of Trusts are now using psychometric testing as part of the consultant interview process. This chapter looks at the implications of this and at some of the more commonly known tools. Psychometric tests include personality tests, e.g. Myers—Briggs and Insights, as well as aptitude tests designed to assess an individual’s general logical ability, and verbal, numerical and technical reasoning. Aptitude tests are thought to be more accurate in predicting job performance than personality tests but have not been widely used in medicine. The tools used within medicine tend to look at a person’s personality, how they behave within teams and how they respond to conflict. Some of the more commonly used tools are: • Myers—Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) • 16 Personality Factor (16PF®) • Insights Discovery® Personality Profile (Insights) • Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation (FIRO-B®) • Thomas—Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) • Strength Deployment Inventory® (SDI®) Two of these tools, MBTI and SDI, explicitly state that they should not be used as part of a selection process. However, they are increasingly being used, driven by the advice of unqualified or unscrupulous behavioural consultants! . . . What should I do if asked to sit a test? . . . You are who you are. Do not panic and do not try to work out what the panel want when answering questions about your personality. In general you will only get it wrong! The outcome of your assessment will not be you and the person you appear to be may be less suited for the job than the real you. Equally, this is not something you can practise—you can’t really ‘get good’ at something that is designed to simply show the real you! It’s also worth remembering that if the panel members are determined to employ someone you are not, ask yourself whether you would be happy in the role.

Background: Different tools have been developed and validated to measure unfinished nursing care. However, no systematic review of the psychometric properties has been performed describing the quality of the methods used to estimate their validity. Aims: (a) To identify tools measuring unfinished nursing care that have undergone validation processes; (b) to evaluate critically the quality of the methods used in ascertaining their psychometric properties; and (c) to compare the estimated psychometric properties of these tools. Design: A systematic review of the psychometric properties also evaluating their methodological quality was performed by following the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) guideline for systematic reviews. Data sources: The databases Medline, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PubMed, Google and Google Scholar were searched up to 30 June 2018. Review methods: Data extraction was performed following the predetermined eligibility criteria. Eight properties and their methodological quality were assessed using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments criteria. Results: A total of 20 studies reported validation data regarding three family of tools: the Missed Care Survey (MISSCARE), the Basal Extent of Rationing of Nursing Care (BERNCA) and the Task Undone scale (TU-7). The most estimated psychometric properties across studies were internal consistency, followed by structural validity, content validity, and cross-cultural validity. The less evaluated psychometric properties were reliability, hypothesis testing and convergent and criterion validity. Conclusion: The psychometric properties of the investigated tools showed a more than acceptable quality, as did the methodologies used to estimate these properties. Impact: The MISSCARE survey is the most widely used tool validated across countries to date. Evaluating the concurrent reliability of the tools available is strongly recommended to assess their effectiveness in measuring the same phenomenon

Background and objectives: Given that dissatisfaction with bodily appearance can sometimes lead to the avoidance of personal contacts and the increase of internet use, this study examines this relationship. The direct role of dissatisfaction with bodily appearance along with the possible mediation effects of depression, anxiety and self-esteem were tested. Methods: A total of 694 participants completed an online questionnaire (58.5% male, mean age 21.5 years), containing measures on problematic internet use, depression and anxiety symptoms, self-esteem and satisfaction with body image. Path analyses were used to test direct and indirect effects. Results: Satisfaction with body appearance had a significant negative direct effect on problematic internet use among both sexes. Though, satisfaction with body appearance had a positive effect on self-esteem and negative on anxiety, neither self-esteem nor anxiety had a direct significant effect on problematic internet use. The effect of dissatisfaction with body appearance was mediated via the self-esteem–depression path toward problematic internet use. Conclusions: Dissatisfaction with physical appearance seems to have a significant role in individuals’ immersing themselves in internet use

As the Internet becomes increasingly ubiquitous and mobile, Internet addiction appears as a potential mental health problem in adolescents and students. From the reported negative consequences, it appears Internet addiction can have a variety of detrimental outcomes for young people that may require professional intervention. The unique contribution to knowledge of this research is (i) the assessment of the interplay between certain personality traits and the usage of specific Internet applications in contributing to an elevated risk of Internet addiction in two independent samples of 3,105 adolescents in the Netherlands and 2,257 university students in the UK, (ii) the development and testing of the concise Internet addiction components model using the quantitative data obtained, and (iii) the phenomenological exploration of the presenting problem of Internet addiction from the perspective of 20 psychotherapists from Europe, the USA, and Canada. A mixed methods approach was used in the form of psychometric measurement and qualitative interviews. Data were analysed using logistic regression, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling, and interpretative phenomenological analysis

This study explored the possible role of four factors in the relationship between end user developers’ perceptions of their applications and their perceptions of the tools used to create them. Satisfaction with a user developed application was found to be significantly correlated with satisfaction with the tool used to create the application regardless of the provision of feedback about the application, or level of spreadsheet development knowledge. Previous experience with another spreadsheet development tool did however appear to influence the relationship, suggesting that end user developers would benefit from experience with a variety of development tools

Spreadsheets are the most commonly used tool for end user development of applications, and organizations depend heavily upon them for decision making. This paper reports on a study to investigate the role of spreadsheet knowledge in the successful use of spreadsheet applications. It considers both the spreadsheet knowledge of the user developer and the spreadsheet knowledge of the user and tests a model of the effect of spreadsheet knowledge on the success of a user-developed spreadsheet application. Spreadsheet knowledge was shown to be important in two ways. It influences the quality of the system being developed, but it also acts directly upon the individual impact of the application. Successful use appears to require sufficient knowledge to understand and, if necessary, alter the application

This brief article is a direct and invited rejoinder to the comments by David Bartram on our original paper on the use of 360 degree feedback in coaching. Bartram raises important issues which are likely to be of concern and interest to coaches and other users of psychometric tools, even if they do not relate directly to the primary focus of our original paper. This rejoinder reiterates our original approach which was based on a practical workshop on coaching that included a case study reinforcing the benefits of good structural alignment and validity between psychometric trait measures and criterion measures of work effectiveness. This we consider a logical and practical extension of the criterion-centric perspective to measurement, which is a measurement perspective we share with Bartram. Next, our rejoinder addresses how the Great Eight model mapping was used in the analysis as a unit weighted aggregate to predict overall effectiveness at work rather than predict behavioural competencies. Overall effectiveness (and ability) is central to Saville Consulting Wave© Performance 360 criterion measure, and we put this in the context of a hypothetical gap analysis to make the link back to the application in coaching. High level models which lead to aggregation of both predictors and criterion variables are increasingly commonplace in the literature and include Bartram (2005). We further this work by defining a reliable overall (global) effectiveness scale and reporting validities against the total scale source as well as its deaggregated items each of which represents a distinct segment of overall performance. Rather than differentially weighting these predictors we used a priori unit weighting of the Great Eight predictors from Wave© Professional Styles and OPQ32i. We were primarily concerned with testing the hypothesis that the results were non-zero in predicting overall effectiveness in the original article. We confirm that Wave© Professional Styles trait measure of Competency Potential clearly improved on OPQ32i’s prediction of overall effectiveness (p<.05, two tailed, N=169) in this study. Finally, we emphasise the advantages of single co-validation studies in the comparison of the validity of different models and psychometric tools based on fully pre-hypothesised equations to aggregate predictor scales. This approach, paired with other methodologies, we argue will lead to the scientific advancement of the field

Background: Internal validity of a randomized clinical trial of a nursing intervention is dependent on intervention fidelity. Although several methods have been developed, evaluating audio or audiovisual tapes for prescribed and proscribed interventionist behaviors is considered the gold standard test of treatment fidelity. This approach requires development of a psychometrically sound instrument to meaningfully categorize and quantify interventionist behaviors. b Objective: To outline critical steps necessary to develop a treatment fidelity instrument. b Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted to determine procedures used by other researchers. The literature review produced five quantitative studies of treatment fidelity, all in the field of psychotherapy, and two replication studies. A synthesis of methodologies across studies combined with researchers’ experiences resulted in identification of the steps necessary to develop a treatment fidelity measure. b Results: Seven sequential steps were identified as essential to the development of a valid and reliable measure of treatment fidelity. These steps include (a) identification of the essential elements of the experimental and control treatment modalities; (b) construction of scale items; (c) development of item scaling; (d) identification of the units for coding; (e) item testing and revision; (f) specification of rater qualifications and development of rater training program; and (g) development and completion of pilot testing to test psychometric properties. Development of the Possibilities Project Psychotherapy Coding Questionnaire is described as an illustration of the seven-step process. b Discussion: The results show the essential steps that are unique to the development of treatment fidelity measures and show the feasibility of using these steps to construct a psychometrically sound treatment-specific fidelity measure. b Key Words: internal validity & intervention fidelity & randomized clinical trialshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65122/2/Stein Fidelity.pd

Yoesoep Edhie Rachmad (YER) presents Methodologies for Individual Assessment in Organizations and Industry as a comprehensive scholarly work that examines the theoretical, methodological, and ethical foundations of individual assessment across organizational and industrial contexts. The book responds to the increasing complexity of modern workplaces, where individual evaluation plays a decisive role in selection, performance management, development, and strategic decision-making. From the conceptual perspective articulated by Yoesoep Edhie Rachmad (YER), individual assessment methodologies must extend beyond standardized measurement to capture the multidimensional nature of professional functioning. Assessment is framed not merely as a technical process, but as a structured interpretation of human capability within dynamic organizational systems. In addressing methodological diversity, Yoesoep Edhie Rachmad (YER) critically examines quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches to individual assessment. Psychometric testing, behavioral observation, competency-based evaluation, and contextual analysis are positioned as complementary rather than competing methodologies. A key contribution emphasized by Yoesoep Edhie Rachmad (YER) is the alignment of assessment methodology with evaluative purpose. The book argues that methodological rigor is inseparable from clarity of intent, whether assessment is conducted for selection, diagnosis, development, or certification. Methodologically, Yoesoep Edhie Rachmad (YER) adopts an integrative and interdisciplinary synthesis drawing from psychometrics, organizational psychology, human resource development, and industrial sociology. This synthesis enables the book to bridge scientific measurement principles with applied organizational realities. Ethical considerations occupy a central position in the analysis presented by Yoesoep Edhie Rachmad (YER). Issues of fairness, transparency, cultural sensitivity, and responsible data use are treated as intrinsic dimensions of methodological quality rather than external constraints. Overall, Methodologies for Individual Assessment in Organizations and Industry, as articulated by Yoesoep Edhie Rachmad (YER), offers a human-centered, scientifically grounded, and context-sensitive framework for individual assessment. The book contributes to international scholarship by providing methodological clarity while honoring the complexity and dignity of individuals within organizational and industrial systems