[IPAC-List] Identifying Job-Related Personality Characteristics

[Winfred Arthur, Jr.]

. . . and if you are interested in some lazy friday afternoon reading  

:)  here is a related article but at a much broader level, on "cognitive 

competence" at the national level by Rindermann and Ceci (2009).  it is 
in Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4, 551-577.

the abstract reads as follows:
+++++++++
ABSTRACT—Prior studies of students’ and adults’ cognitive competence 
have shown large differences between nations, equivalent to a difference 
of 5 to 10 years of schooling. These differences seem to be relevant 
because studies using different research paradigms have demonstrated 
that population-level cognitive abilities are related to a number of 
important societal outcomes, including productivity, democratization, 
and health. In this overview of transnational differences, we document a 
number of positive predictors of international differences in student 
competence, including the amount of preschool education, student 
discipline, quantity of education, attendance at additional schools, 
early tracking, the use of centralized exams and high-stakes tests, and 
adult educational attainment. We found rather negative relationships for 
grade retention rates, age of school onset, and class size. Altogether, 
these results, when combined with the outcomes of earlier studies, 
demonstrate that international differences in cognitive competence can 
be explained in part by aspects of the respective countries’ educational 
systems and that these differences consequently can be reduced by reform 
of their educational policy. This has important implications not just 
for closing gaps in educational achievement, but for narrowing 
international gaps in wealth, health, and democracy.
+++++++++

- winfred


On 10/22/2010 2:17 PM, Mark Hammer wrote:

> In followup to the original query, I happened to stumble onto an

> interesting paper in the September issue of American Psychologist that I

> thought I'd toss out there:

>

> Statewide differences in personality: Toward a psychological geography

> of the United States.

> By Rentfrow, Peter Jason, American Psychologist, Vol 65(6), Sep 2010,

> 548-558.

>

> Abstract

> There is overwhelming evidence from research in the regional sciences

> that the attitudes, values, and behaviors of Americans are

> geographically clustered. Psychologists, however, have historically had

> little to say about regional differences. This article aims to redress

> that neglect. In so doing, I provide evidence that there are statewide

> personality differences across the United States, offer potential

> explanations for those differences, and show that regional personality

> differences are linked to a variety of important social indicators. I

> also explain how a regional perspective can inform research in a variety

> of areas in psychology and suggest ways in which researchers can study

> regional differences in their own work. Ultimately, this work is

> intended to raise awareness in psychology about the value that a

> regional perspective can add to theory and research.

>

>

> Kinda makes you wonder about the application of norms and the "regional

> validity", doesn't it?

>

> Mark Hammer

> Ottawa

>

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