THE SHELFLIFE OF A TEST VALIDATION-STUDY - A SURVEY OF EXPERT OPINION

Anonymous mailed surveys containing a description of a competent and s uccessful content validation or criterion-related validation study wer e returned by 106 experts in employment test validation: Fellows of SI OP, ABPP Diplomates in I/O Psychology, and experienced practitioners n ominated by the first two groups. More than 70% replied that they woul d seek; additional supportive evidence within 5 years or less followin g the validation. The most frequently suggested action was a review of the target job requirements. Opinions did not differ as a function of demographic and experiential variables-except between those who have been involved in Title VII employment discrimination litigation and th ose who have not, and between those who have primarily represented emp loyers vs those who have represented plaintiffs more frequently in suc h litigation. Whereas decrements to the original supporting evidence w ould lead respondents to shorten their estimates of longevity, a surpl us of supportive evidence would not lead to extended estimates. Genera lizability and limitations of the survey are discussed as well as impl ications for Title VII litigation.