Comparison of Alternative Methods of Measuring ASVAB Test Composite Fairness

Abstract

Abstract : The major objective of the present research is to compare the fairness measures obtained by the prediction error (PE) model with the Cleary model for female and black Soldiers utilizing the current Army aptitude area composites as predictors and Skill Qualifications Test (SOT) scores as the criteria. Fairness is traditionally defined as the absence of underpredictions for the minority groups that are considered potentially susceptible to discrimination. The Cleary model was chosen for comparison with the PE model because Cleary has been considered the gold standard of fairness measurement for more than three decades. The models are compared for selection and classification and evaluated by a common metric using the same robust Army database in a double cross-validation design permitting objective estimates of prediction fairness. The authors conclude that the results obtained for the PE and Cleary models are quite comparable for practical purposes for selection, but possibly not for classification. They find that the PE model is the better of the two because of the precision that comes with utilization and reliance upon individual test scores.