title: The application of subjective job task analysis techniques in physically demanding occupations: evidence for the presence of self-serving bias.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine if perceptions of physically demanding job tasks are biased by employee demographics and employment profile characteristics including: age, sex, experience, length of tenure, rank and if they completed or supervised a task. Surveys were administered to 427 Royal Australian Navy personnel who characterised 33 tasks in terms of physical effort, importance, frequency, duration and vertical/horizontal distance travelled. Results showed no evidence of bias resulting from participant characteristics, however participants who were actively involved in both task participation and supervision rated these tasks as more important than those involved only in the supervision of that task. This may indicate self-serving bias in which participants that are more actively involved in a task had an inflated perception of that task's importance. These results have important implications for the conduct of job task analyses, especially the use of subjective methodologies in the development of scientifically defensible physical employment standards. Practitioner Summary: To examine the presence of systematic bias in subjective job task analysis methodologies, a survey was conducted on a sample of Royal Australian Navy personnel. The relationship between job task descriptions and participant's demographic and job profile characteristics revealed the presence of self-serving bias affecting perceptions of task importance.
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , University of Wollongong , Wollongong , Australia.|b Centre for Human and Applied Physiology School of Medicine , University of Wollongong , Wollongong , Australia.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lee-Bates
authors.affiliation: c Land Division , Defence Science and Technology Group , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Daniel C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Billing
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , University of Wollongong , Wollongong , Australia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caputi
authors.affiliation: c Land Division , Defence Science and Technology Group , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Greg L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Carstairs
authors.affiliation: c Land Division , Defence Science and Technology Group , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Linnane
authors.affiliation: b Centre for Human and Applied Physiology School of Medicine , University of Wollongong , Wollongong , Australia.|c Land Division , Defence Science and Technology Group , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Kane
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4914-8570
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Middleton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D009790:Occupations; D005082:Physical Exertion; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012647:Self-Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D000066477:Work Performance; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Survey; bias; employment standards; methodology; physically demanding occupation