Improving the Validity of the Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery with Measures of Attention Control

Abstract

We evaluated the predictive value of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) at the latent level, using multitasking as a proxy for real-world job performance. We also examined whether adding measures of attention control to the ASVAB could improve its predictive validity. To answer these questions, data were collected from 171 young adults recruited from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the greater Atlanta community. Both regression and latent variable analyses revealed that the ASVAB does predict multitasking at the latent level but that measures of attention control add substantial predictive validity in explaining multitasking above and beyond the ASVAB, fluid intelligence, and processing speed. Theoretical as well as practical applications of these results are discussed in terms of theories of attention control, and potential cost savings in selection for military positions.