A Description and Comparison of Biographical Inventories for Military Selection
Abstract
The Military Services have been experimenting with biodata with the hopes of better identifying those recruits unlikely to adapt to military life. Although possession of a high school diploma has been shown to be the single most effective predictor of first-term attrition, there remains room for improvement. The identification of the most effective biodata items and efficient instruments may further enhance the selection of successful servicemembers. This report describes several Service and DoD biographical inventories. Specifically mentioned are the History Opinion Inventory (HOI), Military Service Inventory (MSI), Recruit Background Questionnaire (RBQ), Military Applicant Profile (MAP), Educational and Biographical Information Survey (EBIS), and the Armed Services Adaptability Profile (ASAP). The types of items which have shown validity for predicting military performance among these instruments were identified. Of the following 12 descriptive categories-- education achievement, school behavior/attitudes, family relations, work history, status variables, arrest related, alcohol/drug use, minor behaviors, past behaviors (other), self-perceptions, military attitudes/expectations, and attitudes--the most consistently effective type of item appears to be those dealing with school behaviors and attitudes. Such items were often found to be among the top one-fifth of the various instruments' items.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA157364
Entities
People
- Barbara Means
- Janice H. Laurence
Organizations
- Human Resources Research Organization