Assessment centre observation procedures: An experimental comparison of traditional, checklist and coding methods

Concern about the construct validity of assessment centre judgements has le d to calls for research into observers' cognitive processes. In an experime nt comparing the Traditional observation procedure against use of a Behavio ural Checklist and of Behavioural Coding, six outcome variables were examin ed. The methods were found to yield similar outcomes in terms of accuracy o f judgement, accuracy of written evidence, correlation between dimension ra tings, and attitude toward the method employed. However, significant betwee n-method differences were observed in variability between observers and in their willingness to recommend a procedure. It is argued that Behavioural C oding has special merit in assessment centres; the method reduces the cogni tive demands placed on assessors, and valuably structures their information -processing. Traditional objections to simultaneous observation and classif ication are shown to be inappropriate.