Florida Institute of Technology
High Tech with a Human Touch
School of Psychology
Industrial and Organizational Psychology Program
Research Team: Applicant Response Behavior (ARB)
Introduction
The Applicant Response Behavior (ARB) Team conducts research examining the intersection of the applicant and the organization. Currently, the team’s research focuses on faking of personality measures that are used in selecting employees. One criticism of using personality measures in selection is that their accuracy can be affected by an applicant’s decision of whether to represent themselves honestly, or to represent themselves in a way that would improve their chances of getting the job that they are applying for. If applicants are misrepresenting themselves, then the inferences that are drawn from personality measures that are used in the selection process may be inaccurate. The overarching goal of the ARB team is to examine factors that may play a role in determining faking behavior. The ARB team is interested in determining individual and situational factors that may be related to response distortion, as well as characteristics of personality measures that may impact faking. In addition, the ARB team is interested in examining the faking/performance relationship (are fakers better or worse performers on the job). Ultimately our goal is to determine if faking harms selection procedures, and to develop methods to enhance the validity and usefulness of these measures. While the faking of personality measures is our current emphasis, our research objectives are broad enough to encompass other selection and recruiting methods.
Faculty Advisor Dr. Richard Griffith
Team Philosophy
The goal of the ARB team is to have a systematic process of training, which encourages a continuous flow of knowledge in a dynamic learning environment. New members are socialized into a collaborative research setting and learn applicable methodology and technical skills. As members learn and grow with the team they begin to take on management and training responsibilities. The culture of ARB encourages a flow of communication, sharing of ideas, and a fun working and learning environment. It is often necessary for the team to meet strict deadlines and adjust to unforeseen obstacles. However, during these challenging times we prove our strength and adaptability as a TEAM. Of course, we don’t forget to allow for leisure time too!