THE ROLE OF BIODATA AND INTELLIGENCE IN THE PREDICTIVE-VALIDITY OF ASSESSMENT-CENTERS

The present study assessed three of Klimoski and Brickner's(1) explana tions for assessment centres' predictive validity: criterion contamina tion, the influence of biodata, and the effect of assessed intellectua l level. Data were collected in a major Israeli industrial organisatio n on the job performance and advancement of 91 managers who had partic ipated in an assessment centre four to seven years earlier. Little emp irical support was garnered for Klimoski and Brickner's claims. Assess ment centre scores were found to be similarly correlated in a signific ant fashion with both contaminated and uncontaminated criteria of late r management performance. Although biodata and intelligence variables were correlated with assessors' evaluations, they did not notably cont ribute to the predictive validity of assessment centre scores. It seem s that information reached by observing behaviours reflected during ex ercises and simulations are the main factors affecting the validity of assessment centres.