Game-Based Assessments of Cognitive Ability: Validity and Effects on Adverse Impact through Perceived Stereotype Threat, Test-Taking Motivation and Anxiety
Abstract
Games offer an innovative new method for assessing cognitive ability. We hypothesize that game-based assessments correlate with traditional assessments of cognitive ability, and exhibit smaller racial differences in performance. We integrate perceived stereotype threat, test-taking motivation, and anxiety to explain how games might reduce racial differences in performance. In a mock selection situation, participants applied for a job by completing game-based and traditional assessments. Results showed that game-based assessments were positively correlated with traditional assessments (r = .35-.50), and exhibited smaller racial differences than one of the traditional assessments. We found that perceived stereotype threat mediated the race-performance relationship and that game-based assessments were associated with higher test-taking motivation and lower anxiety than some of the traditional assessments; however, our proposed mechanisms did not account for the reduction in racial differences on the game-based assessments. We recommend further investigation into the validity of game-based assessments for selection.
Description
Keywords
Psychology--Industrial
Citation
Gödöllei Lappalainen, A. F. (2017). Game-Based Assessments of Cognitive Ability: Validity and Effects on Adverse Impact through Perceived Stereotype Threat, Test-Taking Motivation and Anxiety (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26255