Adagio Liggin
PSY 272
Homework Assignment 3

Building a Selection System
The most vital part of an organization or workplace are the people that make it up. All the products made, the ebb and flow, and the amount of productive work being done in a workplace all depends on the people that are part of the work place- they are the heart of the organization. For things in a workplace to go smoothly, the right people must be hired. To ensure that they are employing the right people, many organizations establish and enforce a selection system.
A selection system can be made up of a myriad of certain systems, including interviews, situational judgement tests, competency tests, bio data, etc. Choosing the right system to measure the correct traits will result in a steady, productive workplace. With that being said, there are different selection systems necessary for different occupations. The occupation in question at the moment is a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists have to be not only properly trained, but possess the right individual traits to perform a job well. As mentioned previously, some of those traits include maintaining self-control, possessing active listening skills, being able to communicate effectively, and being able to tolerate stress well. This then begs the question- what is the best selection system for identifying these traits?
There are numerous selection systems that can be used to ascertain whether or not an individual possesses these necessary traits. With that being said, I believe the best way to measure self-control is to use testing- but not a test with a pencil and piece of paper. Something I would use is similar to the “Marshmallow Test”, first performed by Stanford psychologist Walter Mischel and colleagues in the 1960s (Chen, 2014). The test entailed giving school age children the option of either eating a single marshmallow right away, or waiting fifteen minutes to receive and eat two marshmallows. The research showed that those who waited the fifteen minutes- those who were able to exhibit self-control- performed better later in life on standardized tests, greater self-esteem, and the ability to cope with stress better later in life.
My test would build on this idea. I would have applicants decide among three choices- treating a patient (who has signs of depression or anxiety) with prescription drugs right away, treating a patient with the same illness without medication with the option to pass the patient on to a fellow doctor, or treating the patient by “talking it out” and deciding if the patient, after numerous sessions, should be prescribed medication. This would allow employers to see if a potential employee is able to make the right decision- if the employee is able to use self-control and discipline to actually treat a patient. This could be done with hypothetical patients with different illnesses, or even real patients.
The next trait that would be tested is active listening skills. To measure this, I would use a standard test asking the potential employee a series of open ended questions and seeing how they answer (Lee, n.d.). These questions would include asking if the applicant finds himself planning what they will say next while conversing with a person while another person is talking, if they interrupt others while conversing, is they tend to finish other peoples’ sentences, if their mind wanders during conversations, and if they focus on only words being said during a conversation- not the emotion behind it- among other questions.
This would also be combined with a conversation analysis between a mock patient and himself/herself/. I would observe his/her body language while treating a patient, and ascertain whether or not they are showing active listening traits such as proper body language. I believe this to be an effective way to measure this trait.
It should be noted that some traits can be more easily measured during employment, such as stress tolerance, for one cannot be exactly sure of the stress they will be subject to until they “walk a mile in the shoes”, so to speak. The third trait that would be measured would be stress tolerance. This test would be simple, and is essentially the same test that was done by psychologist Goodyear in 1973. This would be a self- reporting test. This test is rather self-explanatory- an employee will simply tell an employer- after a month or so into the job- if they are managing stress that comes with the job well. This is the most reliable way to find this out, as employees will tell employers if something is bugging them if they are asked (Rushall, 1990). Other ways to test stress tolerance can simply be ascertained by talking to an employee and noticing if they are “off” so to speak. Drastic changes in appearance and being easily angered or overwhelmed can be good indicators of the inability to manage stress well.
As mentioned before, there are numerous ways to measure if an individual possesses the necessary traits to excel at a job. One can use paper tests, self- assessment tests, use bio data, or just ask the employee how they think they are doing at their job. There is no wrong way, as long as the workplace environment is thriving and employees are doing their jobs well.

Reference Page
Brent S. Rushall (1990) A tool for measuring stress tolerance in eliteathletes, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2:1, 51-66, DOI: 10.1080/10413209008406420
Chen, I. (2014, September 14). Measuring Students’ Self-Control: A ‘Marshmallow Test’ for the Digital Age. Retrieved October 20, 2015, from http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/09/15/measuring-self-control-a-marshmallow-test-for-the-digital-age/
Lee, J. (n.d.). Good Listener? Take a Listening Skills Self Test. Retrieved October 20, 2015, from http://www.choosehelp.com/topics/couples-counseling/good-communication-2013-are-you-a-good-listener-test-yourself-and-then-learn-how-to-improve-1#test-your-listening-powers
Tafero, T. (n.d.). 5 Tips for Designing an Effective Employee Selection System. Retrieved October 20, 2015, from http://www.selectinternational.com/blog/bid/147051/5-Tips-for-Designing-an-Effective-Employee-Selection-System