title: Educational attainment as a proxy for cognitive ability in selection: effects on levels of cognitive ability and adverse impact.
abstract: The authors examined the differences in mean level of cognitive ability and adverse impact that can be expected when selecting employees solely on educational attainment as a proxy for cognitive ability versus selecting employees directly on cognitive ability. Selection using cognitive ability worked as a more efficient cognitive screen. Imposing an educational attainment standard of at least 1 year of college, though, did result in noticeably higher levels of cognitive ability in potential applicant pools than did random selection, meaning that educational attainment does work as a cognitive screen. These results held not only in a nationally representative sample but also within and across 6 different occupational groups. Finally, adverse impact is examined for selection using educational attainment, compared with selection on the basis of cognitive ability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. berr0159@umn.edu
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.forename: Melissa L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Gruys
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Sackett
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010560:Personnel Selection; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires