INTEGRITY TESTS AS A SPECIFIC GROUP OF IN STRUMENTS IN PERSONNEL-SELECTION - A LITERATURE-REVIEW AND METAANALYTIC FINDINGS ON CONSTRUCT-VALIDITY

During the last two decades, attempts to assess the trustworthiness of job applicants via standardized questionnaires led to the development of numerous so-called ''integrity tests'' in the USA. While there is substantive meta-analytic evidence for their criterion-related validit y, using narrowly or broadly defined, ''honesty'' as well as overall j ob performance as criteria, the findings on their construct validity a re much fewer in number and less conclusive in results. To address thi s issue, a meta-analysis of correlations between integrity tests and m ainstream personality questionnaires was conducted, using the five-fac tor-model of personality as a base for a nomological net. Depending on the factor in question, between 10 and 14 coefficients, representing a total N of 1.636 and 2.236, respectively were entered into the analy sis. Integrity was moderately correlated with three of the ''big five' '-factors (emotional stability agreeableness, and conscientiousness; w ith rho about .30, respectively), while for both the others no substan tial relationship was found. Moderator analysis showed generally highe r coefficients for the trait-based tests compared to the attitudinal m easures of integrity.