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The nature of intraindividual performance variability over time, along with individual difference predictors of such variability, was examined using latent growth curve methodology. Quarterly sales performance for a sample of securities analysts (n= 303) was measured at 8 times. Average intraindividual performance approximated a basic “learning” curve, although there were considerable individual differences in each of the latent performance growth parameters. Individual difference predictors from a biodata inventory were moderately related to these latent growth parameters. Theoretical and practical implications of performance variability for personnel selection are also discussed.

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This laboratory study examined the influences of nonverbal communication and different methods of assessing a job applicant. Female subjects (N = 72) saw either an immediate or nonimmediate applicant while serving as an interviewer, observer, or television observer (2X3 factorial design). Both observers were yoked to the interviewer. The results clearly indicate that nonverbal communication had a significant (p < .001) effect on interview impressions and subsequent decisions. Further, several self-report measures suggest different degrees of involvement as a function of the rater's proximity. Implications for future research and novel interviewing techniques are discussed.The authors wish to thank Bill Byrley, Betty French, Cherie Lewis, and the Behavioral Sciences Laboratory staff for their assistance in conducting this study, and give a special thanks to Manuel London and Anne Marie Francesco for their advice and assistance.Requests for reprints should be sent to

Research examined both the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) and the possible analyst sources for gathering job analysis information. 25 state government jobs were examined using job incumbents, supervisors, job analysts, and a comparison group of college students. Reliability and validity (judge convergence and prediction of present pay levels) information was determined for each of the four analyst categories. Results indicate that there is little difference between analyst sources, including students, in terms of their ability to reliably analyze a job using the PAQ. Convergent validity results showed a high degree of agreement among all judge categories when summing item frequencies across all 25 jobs. The prediction of present pay levels was significant for all judge categories but was noticeably smaller than previously reported studies. This seemed to be primarily due to the restriction in salary range of the present study. An analysis of judge response bias showed that supervisors and incumbents rate all or most PAQ items higher than their analyst counterparts. These findings suggest that who furnishes responses to a job analysis inventory makes little practical difference. The exception is that the determination of pay levels and human requirements for test construction purposes should be viewed with caution when different analyst sources are utilized for different jobs.THE Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) (McCormick, Jeanneret, Mecham, 1972) is a structured job analysis questionnaire consisting of 189 elements of a "worker oriented" nature. Jobs are analyzed into meaningful and quantifiable "units" of job information Requests for reprints should be sent to Milton D. Hakel, The