Testing the general domain knowledge component underlying situational judgement test performance : a training study on implicit trait policies

Abstract

Situational Judgement Test (SJT) was viewed as a measure of context-dependent knowledge (Krumm et al., 2015). However, Motowidlo and colleagues (2006) proposed a new framework that introduced an additional knowledge component, ITPs (i.e., individuals&rsquo; understanding of the effectiveness of behaviour based on the personality trait that this behaviour expresses). The current study tested the effect of ITP-based training on individuals&rsquo; SJT performance. A hundred and thirty-one college students (M_age = 27, SD = 7.70) were tested in a controlled experiment. An independent-samples t-test revealed a small training effect (M_D = 2.68; CI₉₅ = 0.84, 4.52; <em>d</em> = .32) thus supporting the existence of ITPs. Other factors, such as personality, cognitive ability, and sex also contributed to the variance of SIT performance. The current findings may have practical implications for inexperienced job seekers. However, such training&rsquo;s impact on trainees&rsquo; actual job performance remained unknown and would require future investigations.