AURAL AND VISUAL SOURCES OF VALIDITY IN STRUCTURED EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEWS

This study tests effects of aural and visual cues on the validity of s tructured interviews. We recorded simulated job interviews with 40 man agers from three utility companies on videotape. Supervisors provided performance ratings. Undergraduate research participants (N = 194) saw and heard the videotapes, heard them without the picture, or saw them without the sound and rated interviewees accordingly. Approximately 6 participants rated each interviewee in each condition of cue availabi lity. Performance ratings and participants' pooled ratings correlated .36 when they could hear and see the interviews, .33 when they could o nly hear the interviews, and .32 when they could only see the intervie ws. Interview ratings based on sight alone correlated .53 with intervi ew ratings based on sound alone. One explanation is that aural cues, v isual cues, and supervisory performance ratings all reflect true diffe rences between interviewees in traits related to management effectiven ess. Another is that interviewers and supervisors make the same mistak es when interpreting implications of aural cues and visual cues for ma nagement effectiveness. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.