Assessment

This major line of research originated from my doctoral dissertation that focused on the construct-related validity of assessment center ratings. Although personnel selection has traditionally been regarded as an applied area with a heavy emphasis on predictive efficiency, it is also crucial to understand why selection devices such as assessment centers work and what constructs they exactly measure.

In various studies, I therefore investigated under what conditions assessment center ratings might be more valid measures of underlying constructs. Along these lines, I examined the effects of different assessor training strategies, different types of assessors, and candidate performances. This research is also helpful for practitioners because the results show how one can increase the quality of construct measurement of operational assessment centers.

Recent research projects involve multiple speed assessment (see current PhD projects) and applying the logic of trait activation theory to develop specific interventions for improving the reliability and validity of assessment center ratings. Examples include the use of prompts and instructions for eliciting candidate behavior.

Overview Articles

These articles provide a good starting point to get familiar with a variety of developments in assessment centers and in assessment center research.

Thornton, G.C. III, & Lievens, F. (2020). Theoretical principles relevant to assessment center design and implementation. In: S. Schlebusch & G. Roodt (Eds). Assessment Centres: Unlocking Potential for Growth (2nd Edition, pp. 179-196). Randburg: Knowres.

Lievens, F., Sackett, P.R., & Zhang, C. (2021). Personnel selection: A longstanding story of impact at the individual, firm, and societal level. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 30, 444-455.

Rupp, D. E., Hoffman, B. J., Bischof, D., Byham, W. Collins, L., Gibbons, A., Hirose, S., Kleinmann, M., Kudisch, J. D., Lanik, M., Jackson, D. J. R., Kim, M., Lievens, F., Meiring, D., Melchers, K. G., Pendit, V. G., Putka, D. J., Povah, N., Reynolds, D., Schlebusch, S., Scott, J., Simonenko, S., & Thornton, G. (2015). Guidelines and Ethical Considerations for Assessment Center Operations. Journal of Management, 41, 1244-1273.

Lievens, F., & De Soete, B. (2012). Simulations (pp. 383-410). In N. Schmitt (Ed.) Handbook of Assessment and Selection. Oxford University Press.

Kleinmann, M., Ingold, P.V., Lievens, F., Jansen, A., Melchers, K.G., König, C.J. (2011). A different look at why selection procedures work: The role of candidates’ ability to identify criteria. Organizational Psychology Review, 1, 128-146.

Lievens, F., Tett, R.P., & Schleicher, D.J. (2009). Assessment centers at the crossroads: Toward a reconceptualization of assessment center exercises. In J.J. Martocchio & H. Liao (Eds.), Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management (pp. 99-152). Bingley: JAI Press.

Lievens, F. (2009). Assessment centers: A tale about dimensions, exercises, and dancing bears. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 18, 102-121.

Sackett, P.R., & Lievens, F. (2008). Personnel selection. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 419-45.

Lievens, F. (2008). What does exercise-based assessment really mean? Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 1, 112-115.

Lievens, F. (2007). Research on selection in an international context: Current status and future directions. In M.M. Harris (Ed.) Handbook of Research in International Human Resource Management (pp. 107-123). Lawrence Erlbaum’s Organizations and Management Series.

Lievens, F., & Thornton, G. C. III (2005). Assessment centers: recent developments in practice and research. In A. Evers, O. Smit-Voskuijl, & N. Anderson (Eds.) Handbook of Selection (pp. 243-264). well Publishing.

Lievens, F. (2002). An examination of the accuracy of slogans related to assessment centres. Personnel Review, 31, 86-102.

Lievens, F., & Klimoski, R.J. (2001). Understanding the assessment center process: Where are we now? In C.L. Cooper & I.T. Robertson (Eds.) International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology vol. 16. (pp. 245-286). Chicester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Anderson, N., Lievens, F., Van Dam, K., & Born, M.P. (2006). A construct-driven investigation of gender differences in a leadership-role assessment center. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 555-566.

Multiple, Speeded Assessments

Herde, C.N., & Lievens, F. (2023). Multiple, speeded assessments under scrutiny: Underlying theory, design considerations, reliability, and validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 108, 351-373.

Herde, C.N., & Lievens, F. (2020). Multiple speed assessments: Theory, practice, and research evidence. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 36, 237-249.

Lievens, F., Corstjens, J., & Herde C.N. (2023). Multiple, speeded assessments: Initial evidence on subgroup differences and applicant perceptions. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 31, 240-251.

Hickmann, L., Herde, C.N., Lievens, F., & Tay, L. (2023). Automatic scoring of speeded interpersonal assessment center exercises via Machine Learning: Initial psychometric evidence and practical guidelines. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 31, 225-239.

Assessment Centers and Trait Activation

These articles adopt trait activation theory for better understanding interpersonal perception and trait expression in the context of assessment centers. Specific attention is also placed on the effects of planting job-related cues in assessment center exercises.

Lievens, F., Schollaert, E., & Keen, G. (2015). The interplay of elicitation and evaluation of trait-expressive behavior: Evidence in assessment center exercises. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100, 1169-1188.

Schollaert, E., & Lievens, F. (2012). Building situational stimuli in assessment center exercises: Do specific exercise instructions and role-player prompts increase the observability of behavior. Human Performance, 25, 255-271.

Schollaert, E., & Lievens, F. (2011). The use of role-player prompts in assessment center exercises. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 19, 190-197.

Lievens, F., & Schollaert, E. (2011). Reshaping exercise design in assessment centers: Theory, practice, and research (pp. 47-60). In N. Povah & G. C. Thornton III (Eds.) Assessment centres and global talent management. Gower: Surrey, UK.

Lievens, F., Van Keer, E., & Volckaert, E. (2010). Gathering behavioral samples through a computerized and standardized assessment center exercise: Yes, it is possible. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 9, 94-98.

Lievens, F., Tett, R.P., & Schleicher, D.J. (2009). Assessment centers at the crossroads: Toward a reconceptualization of assessment center exercises. In J.J. Martocchio & H. Liao (Eds.), Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management (pp. 99-152). Bingley: JAI Press.

Lievens, F., De Koster, L., & Schollaert, E. (2008). Current theory and practice of assessment centres: The importance of trait activation (pp. 215-233). In S. Cartwright & C.L. Cooper (Eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Personnel Psychology. Oxford University Press.

Lievens, F., Chasteen, C.S., Day, E.A., & Christiansen, N.D. (2006). Large-scale investigation of the role of trait activation theory for understanding assessment center convergent and discriminant validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 247-258.

Construct-Related Validity Debate

These articles focus on the longstanding discussion as to whether exercises, dimensions or a combination of dimensions and exercises underlie assessment center ratings.

Wirz, A., Melchers, K. G., Kleinmann, M., Lievens, F., Annen, H., Blum, U., & Ingold, P. V. (2020). Do overall dimension ratings from assessment centres show external construct-related validity?. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29, 405-420.

Jansen, A., Melchers, K.G., Lievens, F., Kleinmann, K., Brändli, M., Fraefel, L., & König, C.J. (2013). Situation assessment as an ignored factor in the behavioral consistency paradigm underlying the validity of personnel selection procedures. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98, 326-341.

Lievens, F., & Christiansen, C. (2012). Core debates in assessment center research: Dimensions ‘versus’ tasks (pp. 68-94). In D. Jackson, C. Lance, & B. Hoffman (Eds.) The psychology of assessment centers. Routledge, New York, NY.

Lievens, F., Dilchert, S., & Ones, D.S. (2009). The importance of exercise and dimension factors in assessment centers: Simultaneous examinations of construct-related and criterion-related validity. Human Performance, 22, 375-390.

Lievens, F. (2009). Assessment centers: A tale about dimensions, exercises, and dancing bears. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 18, 102-121.

Lievens, F. (2008). What does exercise-based assessment really mean? Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 1, 112-115.

Lance, C.E., Lambert, T.A., Gewin, A.G., Lievens, F., & Conway, J.M. (2004). Revised estimates of dimension and exercise variance components in assessment center post-exercise dimension ratings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 377–385.

Lievens, F. (2002). Trying to understand the different pieces of the construct validity puzzle of assessment centers: An examination of assessor and assessee effects. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 675-686.

Lievens, F., & Van Keer, E. (2001). The construct validity of a Belgian assessment centre: A comparison of different models. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 74, 373-378.

Lievens, F. (2001). Assessors and use of assessment center dimensions: A fresh look at a troubling issue. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 22, 203-221.

Lievens, F., & Conway, J.M. (2001). Dimension and exercise variance in assessment center scores: A large-scale evaluation of multitrait–multimethod studies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 1202–1222.

Lievens, F. (2001). Assessor training strategies and their effects on accuracy, inter-rater reliability, and discriminant validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 255-264. (see also awards)

Lievens, F. (1998). Factors which improve the construct validity of assessment centers: A review. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 6, 141-152. (see also awards)

Predictive Validity of Assessment Centers

The following primary and meta-analytic studies deal with the criterion-related validity of assessment center ratings for predicting performance.

Borteyrou, X., Lievens, F., Bruchon-Schweitzer, M., Congard, A., & Rascle, N. (2015). Incremental validity of leaderless group discussion ratings over and above general mental ability and personality in predicting promotion. International Journal of Selection of Assessment, 23, 373-381.

Lievens, F., & Christiansen, C. (2012). Core debates in assessment center research: Dimensions ‘versus’ tasks (pp. 68-94). In D. Jackson, C. Lance, & B. Hoffman (Eds.) The psychology of assessment centers. Routledge, New York, NY

Lievens, F., & De Soete, B. (2011). How innovative staffing solutions can make a difference: The case of selecting crane operators for the port of Antwerp (pp. 3-11). In J.C. Hayton, M. Biron, L.C. Christiansen, & B. Kuvaas (Ed.). Global Human Resource Management Case-Book. Routledge: New York, NY.

Hermelin, E., Lievens, F., & Robertson, I.T. (2007). The validity of assessment centres for the prediction of supervisory performance ratings: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 15, 428-433.

Lievens, F., & Van Keer, E. (2005). Assessment centers in Belgium: the results of a study on their validity and fairness. Psychologie du Travail et des Organisations, 11, 25-33.

Lievens, F., & Harris, M.M., Van Keer, E., & Bisqueret, C. (2003). Predicting cross-cultural training performance: The validity of personality, cognitive ability, and dimensions measured by an assessment center and a behavior description interview. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 476-489.

Assessment Centers & Personality

This articles below examine whether assessment centers can also be used for measuring personality traits.

Heimann, A.L., Ingold, P.V., Melchers, K., Lievens, F., Keen, G., & Kleinmann, M. (2023). Actions define a character: Assessment centers as behavior-focused personality measures. Personnel Psychology, 75, 675-705.

Christiansen, N., Hoffman, B.J., Lievens, F., & Speer, A. (2013). Assessment centers and the measurement of personality. In N. Christiansen & R. Tett (Eds.) Handbook of Personality at Work (477-497). New York (NY): Routledge.

Jansen, A., Lievens, F., & Kleinmann, M. (2011). Do individual differences in perceiving situational demands moderate the relationship between personality and assessment center dimension ratings? Human Performance, 24, 231-250

Lievens, F., De Fruyt, F., & Van Dam K. (2001). Assessors’ use of personality traits in descriptions of assessment centre candidates: A five-factor model perspective. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 74, 623-636.