Best Predictor Of Performance Research Articles

Making the grade? A meta-analysis of academic performance as a predictor of work performance and turnover.

Many organizations assess job applicants' academic performance (AP) when making selection decisions. However, researchers and practitioners recently have suggested that AP is not as relevant to work behavior as it used to be due to factors such as grade inflation and increased differences between academic and work contexts. The present meta-analysis examines whether, and under what conditions, AP is a useful predictor of work behavior. Mean correlations (corrected for error in the criterion) between AP and outcomes were .21 for job performance (k = 114), .34 for training performance (k = 8), and -.02 for turnover (k = 20). There was considerable heterogeneity in validity estimates for job performance (80% credibility interval [.04, .37]). Moderator analyses revealed that AP is a better predictor of performance (a) for AP measures that are more relevant to students' future jobs, (b) for professor ratings of AP than for grades and class rank, (c) for samples that include applicants from the same university or from the same major, and (d) for official records of AP than for applicant self-reports. Job relevance was the strongest and most consistent moderator with operational validities in the .30s and .40s for measures that assessed AP in major-specific courses or courses in which students are evaluated on behaviors relevant to their future jobs (e.g., practicum classes). Overall, researchers and organizations should carefully consider whether and how AP is relevant to particular jobs and outcomes, as well as use designs and measures that optimize the predictive value of AP. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

High Speed Impact Testing of UHMWPE Composite Using Orthogonal Arrays

BackgroundUltra high molecular weight polyethylene composites are fiber based composites used in armor applications. While some characterization has been conducted experimentally, this study varies multiple parameters simultaneously to investigate material response under a wide range of conditions.ObjectiveThis work focuses on characterizing the response of Dyneema® HB26 hard laminate composites under high-speed impacts to examine the influence of plate diameter, clamping pressure, and plate spacing on target performance. Additionally, micro Computer Tomography scans are used to nondestructively evaluate the damage evolution in the targets.MethodsThese scan results are used in concert with more traditional armor performance metrics to evaluate the effect of various parameters using the method of orthogonal array analysis. This technique allows for multiple variables to be investigated in the same test series, saving time and budget while still providing quality results across a range of variables and variable values.ResultsWe conclude that of the parameters investigated, the plate spacing parameter has the largest effect on performance, followed by the plate diameter. Bolt torque was found to not have a significant impact on results, indicating that an edge clamping pressure is not critical to material response. Additionally, by examining the high resolution scans, we can quantify the damage with an effective damage angle and that this angle is a good predictor of performance. ConclusionFinally a damage theory involving the effective bending strength of the plates is discussed as an explanation for all of the results observed in this test series.

Educational Pathways, Spatial Skills, and Academic Achievement in Graphic Expression in First Year of Engineering

The subject of Graphic Expression, which is mandatory in the first year of engineering studies, showed poor academic results in recent years. This study analyzes the relationship and predictive capacity of various variables that previous research highlighted as relevant: prior academic preparedness, educational itinerary followed, mental rotation skills, videogame usage, as well as the gender and age of the students. A total of 161 first-year engineering students from a technical university in southern Europe participated in the study. Their spatial rotation skills were evaluated using the MRT-A, gathering information about the rest of the relevant variables and obtaining their academic results at the end of the course. The predictive capacity of the variables on academic performance was determined through linear regression techniques (grade in the subject, on a 0–10 scale) and logistic regression (pass/fail). All variables are significantly related to academic results in the expected direction, except for videogame usage and gender. No significant differences in spatial skills were found between genders, although differences were observed in videogame usage. The best predictors of performance are prior preparation and the educational itinerary followed. The results are discussed considering previous research, highlighting measures to improve results in Graphic Expression, with emphasis on training in spatial skills.

Task features change the relation between math anxiety and number line estimation performance with rational numbers: Two large-scale online studies.

Math performance is negatively related to math anxiety (MA), though MA may impact certain math skills more than others. We investigated whether the relation between MA and math performance is affected by task features, such as number type (e.g., fractions, whole numbers, percentages), number format (symbolic vs. nonsymbolic), and ratio component size (small vs. large). Across two large-scale studies (combined n = 3,822), the MA-performance relation was strongest for large whole numbers and fractions, and stronger for symbolic than nonsymbolic fractions. The MA-performance relation was also stronger for smaller relative to larger components, and MA relating to specific number types may be a better predictor of performance than general MA for certain tasks. The relation between MA and estimation performance changes depending on task features, which suggests that MA may relate to certain math skills more than others, which may have implications for how people reason with numerical information and may inform future interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychology Faculty Overestimate the Magnitude of Cohen’s d Effect Sizes by Half a Standard Deviation

In this experiment, we recruited 261 psychology faculty to determine the extent to which they were able to visually estimate the overlap of two distributions given a Cohen’s d effect size; and vice-versa estimate d given two distributions of varying overlap. In a pre-test, participants in both conditions over-estimated effect sizes by half a standard deviation on average. No significant differences in estimation accuracy by psychology sub-field were found, but having taught statistics coursework was a significant predictor of better performance. After a short training session, participants improved substantially on both tasks on the post-test, with 63% reduction in absolute error and negligible overall bias (98% bias reduction). Furthermore, post-test performance indicated that learning transferred across answering modes. Teachers of statistics might find it beneficial to include a short exercise (less than 10 minutes) requiring the visual estimation of effect sizes in statistics coursework to better train future psychology researchers.

Actively Open-Minded Thinking and Its Measurement.

Actively open-minded thinking (AOT) is measured by items that tap the willingness to consider alternative opinions, sensitivity to evidence contradictory to current beliefs, the willingness to postpone closure, and reflective thought. AOT scales are strong predictors of performance on heuristics and biases tasks and of the avoidance of reasoning traps such as superstitious thinking and belief in conspiracy theories. Nevertheless, AOT is most commonly measured with questionnaires rather than performance indicators. Questionnaire contamination becomes even more of a danger as the AOT concept is expanded into new areas such as the study of fake news, misinformation, ideology, and civic attitudes. We review our 25-year history of studying the AOT concept and developing our own AOT scale. We present a 13-item scale that both is brief and accommodates many previous criticisms and refinements. We include a discussion of why AOT scales are such good predictors of performance on heuristics and biases tasks. We conclude that it is because such scales tap important processes of cognitive decoupling and decontextualization that modernity increasingly requires. We conclude by discussing the paradox that although AOT scales are potent predictors of performance on most rational thinking tasks, they do not predict the avoidance of myside thinking, even though it is virtually the quintessence of the AOT concept.

A Study Suggests Geosteers Often Are Missing the Target

Horizontal drilling makes it possible to drill through the most-productive rock, but based on the following charts, oil companies may often be missing that opportunity. The heavy black bars show the most-productive rock in two producing wells—one unconventional onshore and, the other, offshore and conventional. The tangle of thin, colored lines on and around it are the well paths chosen by 329 competitors in a geosteering contest showing that many of them got lost on the way. The charts are from a paper that analyzed 10,000 geosteering decisions made during the 2021 Rogii Geosteering World Cup, an annual competition started by the maker of geosteering software. The work by Rogii and a team of Norwegian researchers studying drilling decision making was presented at this year’s Unconventional Resources Technical Conference (URTeC 3722510). The results showed about half the contestants earned scores of 30% or less based on the percentage of the well in the target zone—weighted 75%—and their rate of penetration—25%. Only 14 of the 329 participants scored 60% or more, with the balance somewhere in between. To some extent, this dim view of geosteering is a product of the contest rules. Competitors were asked to geosteer two difficult wells at breakneck speed—a decision every 2 minutes based on data from the last 100 m drilled—with minimal information upfront about the wells chosen because they were difficult to steer. In the contest, there was no professional downside for poor performance. Still, it is the rare public attempt to measure how well drillers do at adjusting well plans to maintain contact with the most-productive rock. While the nature of the competition suggests it is not trying to replicate actual drilling conditions, it does raise questions about how well oil companies are doing at maximizing reservoir contact. They observed that some top performers in one well did poorly on the next, and luck played a significant role in some of the results. “The inconsistent performances of players in the two rounds/poor average scores/and significantly different well trajectories planned by geosteerers represent a lack of unified guidelines for stratigraphic-based steering,” Yasaman Cheraghi, a PhD fellow in computational engineering at the University of Stavanger, wrote in an email. Geography was not a good predictor of performance. While 40% of the participants were working in North America, where the greatest number of horizontal wells have been drilled, their results were not better despite their experience. Those involved in the geosteering simulations, based on wells in the Duverney shale in Western Canada and the Xihu Sub-Basin (Yuquan discovery) of the East China Sea, would say they were using a standard method—stratigraphic-based steering. That approach uses the data gathered while drilling and other data about the formation to predict how the layers of rock in the reservoir—the stratigraphy—are likely to change ahead of the steering.

When action prediction grows old: An fMRI study.

Predicting the unfolding of others' actions (action prediction) is crucial for successfully navigating the social world and interacting efficiently. Age-related changes in this domain have remained largely unexplored, especially for predictions regarding simple gestures and independent of contextual information or motor expertise. Here, we evaluated whether healthy aging impacts the neurophysiological processes recruited to anticipate, from the observation of implied-motion postures, the correct conclusion of simple grasping and pointing actions. A color-discrimination task served as a control condition to assess the specificity of the age-related effects. Older adults showed reduced efficiency in performance that was yet not specific to the action prediction task. Nevertheless, fMRI results revealed task-specific age-related differences: while both groups showed stronger recruitment of the lateral occipito-temporal cortex bilaterally during the action prediction than the control task, the younger participants additionally showed a higher bilateral engagement of parietal regions. Importantly, in both groups, the recruitment of visuo-motor processes in the right posterior parietal cortex was a predictor of good performance. These results support the hypothesis of decreased involvement of sensorimotor processes in cognitive tasks when processing action- and body-related stimuli in healthy aging. These results have implications for social interaction, which requires the fast reading of others' gestures.

Factors associated with the 6-minute walk test performance in older adults with hyperkyphosis

Age-related hyperkyphosis is associated with adverse health outcomes, such as falls, fractures, and mortality. However, few studies investigated the relationship between the severity of hyperkyphosis and physical endurance in older adults. This study examined whether a degree of hyperkyphosis curvature was independently associated with the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) distance. We analyzed the baseline data of 112 older adults aged 60-92 enrolled in the Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) Kyphosis trial. The majority of the sample had at least a college degree and were white. On average, participants walked 503.9 (SD 82.3) meters in 6 minutes. Multivariate regression results showed that the degree of hyperkyphosis curvature was not independently associated with the 6MWT distance, but taller height, lighter weight, and less prescription medication were significant predictors of better performance on the 6MWT distance. Validation of the study findings in a large, diverse older adult population is warranted.

Last Word on Viewpoint: Using V̇o2max as a marker of training status in athletes-can we do better?

Last Word on Viewpoint: Using V̇o2max as a marker of training status in athletes-can we do better?

Urban noise does not affect cognitive performance in wild Australian magpies

City-living animals are exposed to pervasive human-generated noise from traffic and industry. There is growing evidence that this exposure may have deleterious physiological and behavioural effects. Cognitive processes could be particularly sensitive to the disruptive effects of noise, but little is known about the potential effects of noise on cognition and cognitive development. We compared the cognitive performance of wild, urban-dwelling Australian magpies, Cracticus tibicen tyrannica , in resident groups exposed to differing levels of environmental noise. We found no evidence that cognitive performance (measured across four behavioural tests estimating different aspects of cognitive ability) covaried with the amplitude of ambient anthropogenic noise across an urban gradient of noise levels. With the exception of one task (spatial memory), the cognitive development of adolescent magpies measured at two different developmental stages (on average 160 and 290 days postfledging) was also similar, irrespective of whether they had been exposed to relatively high or low levels of anthropogenic noise. Our results suggest that levels of anthropogenic noise typical of city parklands do not appear to negatively impact general cognitive performance. • Anthropogenic noise had little effect on Australian magpies' cognitive performance. • Presence of increased urban noise during development may impact spatial memory. • Age was the best predictor of performance on the test battery presented.

Contributions of executive functions and linguistic skills to verbal fluency in children

ABSTRACT Despite the widespread use of verbal fluency (VF) tasks in child neuropsychological research and clinical practice, the contribution of executive and linguistic processes to variability in children’s fluency performance is still unclear. This is particularly important when considering the development of orthographic knowledge and semantic network during childhood. The present study investigated the contributions of executive functions and linguistic skills to performance in VF tasks in children. We examined the contributions of basic executive functions (i.e.,inhibitory control, working memory, and flexibility) and high-order executive functions (i.e., planning), vocabulary, lexical access speed, and phonological awareness to VF performance in 111 typically developing children (8–10 years old). Multiple regression analyses showed that phonological awareness was a predictor of performance in phonemic verbal fluency (PVF), and lexical access speed was the best predictor of performance in semantic verbal fluency (SVF). Among the executive function components, working memory was a predictor of performance in PVF and most categories of SVF (except animal fluency). In addition to working memory resources (i.e., a basic executive function), planning (i.e., a high-level executive function) was also recruited in the clothing category of SVF. These results highlight the importance of phonological processing skills in children’s performance on VF tasks and show similarities and differences in the contributions of various linguistic and executive skills to PVF and SVF. These findings have implications for interpreting the results of these measures in research and clinical practice.

Could middle- and long-distance running performance of well-trained athletes be best predicted by the same aerobic parameters?

The prediction of running performance at different competitive distances is a challenge, since it can be influenced by several physiological, morphological and biomechanical factors. In experienced male runners heterogeneous for maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), endurance running performance can be well predicted by several key parameters of aerobic fitness such as VO2max and its respective velocity (vVO2max), running economy, blood lactate response to exercise, oxygen uptake kinetics and critical velocity. However, for a homogeneous group of well-trained endurance runners, the relationship between aerobic fitness parameters and endurance running performance seems to be influenced by the duration of the race (i.e., middle vs. long). Although middle-distance and ultramarathon runners present high aerobic fitness levels, there is no accumulating evidence showing that the aerobic key parameters influence both 800-m and ultramarathon performance in homogeneous group of well-trained runners. The vVO2max seems to be the best predictor of performance for 1500 m. For 3000 m, both vVO2max and blood lactate response to exercise are the main predictors of performance. Finally, for long distance events (5000 m, 10,000 m, marathon and ultramarathon), blood lactate response seems to be main predictor of performance. The different limiting/determinants factors and/or training-induced changes in aerobic parameters can help to explain this time- or distance-dependent pattern.

Protective factors for subjective cognitive decline individuals: trajectories and changes in a longitudinal study with Italian elderly.

Background and purposeMany different factors have been hypothesized to modulate cognition in an aging population according to their functioning at baseline.MethodsThis retrospective study quantifies the relative contribution of age and sex as demographic factors, comorbidity, education and occupation (classified with the International Standard Classification of Occupation 2008) as cognitive reserve proxies in accounting for cognitive aging. All participants (3081) were evaluated at baseline with a complete neuropsychological test battery (T1) and those with unimpaired profiles were classified as subjective cognitive decline, those mildly impaired as mild neurocognitive decline and those severely impaired as major neurocognitive decline. From the first assessment 543 individuals were assessed a second time (T2), and 125 a third time (T3). Depending on whether they maintained or worsened their profile, based on their initial performance, participants were then classified as resistant or declining.ResultsAt baseline, all individuals showed education and occupation as the best predictors of performance, in addition to age. Furthermore, across assessments, the resistant had higher levels of education and occupation than the declining. In particular, the education and occupation predicted cognitive performance in all groups considered, from the subjective cognitive decline to the one with the most severely impaired participants.ConclusionsThis study highlights the role of working activity in protecting from cognitive decline across all fragile elderly groups and even more so the individuals who are at very high risk of decline.

The telomere regulatory gene POT1 responds to stress and predicts performance in nature: Implications for telomeres and life history evolution.

Telomeres are emerging as correlates of fitness-related traits and may be important mediators of ecologically relevant variation in life history strategies. Growing evidence suggests that telomere dynamics can be more predictive of performance than length itself, but very little work considers how telomere regulatory mechanisms respond to environmental challenges or influence performance in nature. Here, we combine observational and experimental data sets from free-living tree swallows (Tachycinetabicolor) to assess how performance is predicted by the telomere regulatory gene POT1, which encodes a shelterin protein that sterically blocks telomerase from repairing the telomere. First, we show that lower POT1 gene expression in the blood was associated with higher female quality, that is, earlier breeding and heavier body mass. We next challenged mothers with an immune stressor (lipopolysaccharide injection) that led to "sickness" in mothers and 24h of food restriction in their offspring. While POT1 did not respond to maternal injection, females with lower constitutive POT1 gene expression were better able to maintain feeding rates following treatment. Maternal injection also generated a 1-day stressor for chicks, which responded with lower POT1 gene expression and elongated telomeres. Other putatively stress-responsive mechanisms (i.e., glucocorticoids, antioxidants) showed marginal responses in stress-exposed chicks. Model comparisons indicated that POT1 mRNA abundance was a largely better predictor of performance than telomere dynamics, indicating that telomere regulators may be powerful modulators of variation in life history strategies.

Talent identification in swimming: A systematic review.

Introduction: Talent Identification (TI) programs aim to systematically identify athletes who display, or possess, the perceived greatest potential for future success within a sport context. However, despite widespread interest, there are no established criteria for how TI should be conducted in youth swimming. This review aimed to synthesise existing literature to identify methods (i.e., measures, procedures, analysis) that have been implemented as part of TI within youth swimming. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in five databases adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Studies were included if they examined TI and selection methods within ‘talented’ youth swimmers, aged 20 years or under. Results: Twenty-eight studies met inclusion criteria. Studies varied in the criteria applied to identify (non-) talented swimmers (e.g., competition qualification times, world record ratios). Existing studies varied in participant composition, developmental stage, performance level and events examined. Suggesting a somewhat unknown exploratory stage of research understanding, studies typically examined a range of factors (i.e., swimming [in-water] specific, individual attributes; and environmental) perceived as relating to TI. With the assessment of multiple factors at different age/stage time-points and inconsistent findings of their influence apparent, the multifactorial and dynamic nature of swim performance was supported. No consistent set of measures or factors for TI in youth swimmers were identifiable. Discussion: This review highlights how there is limited understanding as to the appropriate measures used to determine talent in youth swimming, and the key factors which underpin high-level youth swimming. Findings suggest identifying swimmers at young ages is a seemingly difficult task. Not one single factor was the best predictor of performance, adding to the difficult task of defining ‘talent’. Considering the elusive definition of ‘talent’, and the dynamic, multifactorial nature of swimming performance along with the inconsistent findings between studies in each factor, practitioners focus should be directed to talent development. Testing batteries should be designed that aim to test a wide range of swimming specific, individual, and environmental factors, providing a holistic approach to identifying swimmers. Swimmers that show some level of potential across numerous tests should be selected and placed into development squads. The primary goal then being to develop the swimmers’ skills while tracking long-term progress. This will potentially allow relatively younger swimmers, and late maturers a chance to be identified instead of being overlooked within TI programs. Conflict of interest statement: My co-authors and I acknowledge that we have no conflict of interest of relevance to the submission of this abstract.

Your Competitive Side Is Calling: An Analysis of Florida Contract Performance

Abstract Competition over the allocation of scarce resources motivates many public policy choices, and increasingly influences the management of public organizations. With the rise of the business‐like approach espoused by adherents of “new public management,” competitive mechanisms are increasingly used in the public sector to improve organization and program performance. Despite the wide acceptance of competition as a viable method to improve public management, little large n empirical work has been done to determine whether competition improves performance, especially in the networked, cross‐sectoral setting of modern governance. Analyzing nearly 20,000 Florida contracts over a three‐year period, this research explores whether competitive sourcing procedures lead to improved contractor performance. Results show that competitive sourcing may be associated with higher contract spending and undesirable contract outcomes. Other factors, including experience, existing relationships, and lower transaction costs, are more likely to lead to better performance. Practitioner Points Competition is theorized to drive down costs, encourage innovation, and help hold contractors accountable for their work. Competitively sourced contracts are more likely to experience cost overruns and to terminate early than noncompetitive contracts, suggesting that competition may not always be the best approach. Instead, agency‐contractor relationships and goal alignment are better predictors of good performance.

Textual Inference Comprehension in Mild Cognitive Impairment: The Influence of Semantic Processing and Verbal Episodic Memory.

Language complaints, especially in complex tasks, may occur in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Various language measures have been studied as cognitive predictors of MCI conversion to Alzheimer's type dementia. Understanding textual inferences is considered a high-demanding task that recruits multiple cognitive functions and, therefore, could be sensitive to detect decline in the early stages of MCI. Thus, we aimed to compare the performance of subjects with MCI to healthy elderly in a textual inference comprehension task and to determine the best predictors of performance in this ability considering one verbal episodic memory and two semantic tasks. We studied 99 individuals divided into three groups: (1) 23 individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), (2) 42 individuals with non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment (naMCI), (3), and (4) 34 cognitively healthy individuals for the control group (CG). A reduced version of The Implicit Management Test was used to assess different types of inferential reasoning in text reading. MCI patients performed poorer than healthy elderly, and there were no differences between MCI subgroups (amnestic and non-amnestic). The best predictors for inference-making were verbal memory in the aMCI and semantic tasks in the naMCI group. The results confirmed that the failure to understand textual inferences can be present in MCI and showed that different cognitive skills like semantic knowledge and verbal episodic memory are necessary for inference-making.

The Impact of Psychological Capital Towards Job Satisfaction During COVID-19 Pandemic (Case Study at Government Institution in Cilegon City, Indonesia)

This government institution is one of the public services that focus on women's empowerment, child protection, and government affairs in the field of population control and family planning. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred the service offered is not worked as well as the service motto that has been set by the organization. Based on Government Performance Accountability Report 2020, the organization's performance has decreased because several program's strategic objectives have not met the predetermined targets. The problems that have been identified from the preliminary interview can be categorized into issues related to employee job satisfaction. The researcher suspects that job satisfaction can be one of several issues that can affect employee performance. Positive psychological capital has a significant relationship with employee performance and job satisfaction. Also, the four facets of psychological capital (hope, efficacy, optimism, and resilience) may be a better predictor of performance and satisfaction. The condition of employee psychological capital can have a positive or negative impact on job satisfaction, so in this research, the researcher will analyze the impact of psychological capital towards job satisfaction. The researcher using PCQ-24 by Luthans and Job Satisfaction Survey by Spector questionnaire to determine the condition of psychological capital and job satisfaction. After the data has been gathered, the author uses descriptive analysis to determine the condition of psychological capital and job satisfaction. Also, uses linear regression to determine the impact of psychological capital towards job satisfaction.

Body mass index and aerobic capacity: The key variables for good performance in soldiers

ABSTRACT Body composition, leg power and aerobic capacity have been shown to be related to performance, although their combined influence in a training task under load carriage in soldiers is still unknown. In this study, the influence of aerobic capacity, body composition and leg strength on performance during an obstacle test with and without combat equipment carriage was analysed. Forty males belonging to the Spanish Army participated in this study. The time needed to complete an obstacle course with and without load, aerobic capacity (20-m shuttle run test), leg power (squat jumps) and body composition variables (body mass index [BMI], fat mass and lean mass) were tested to determine the best predictors of performance. The results indicated that the best predictors of obstacle course performance with and without load carriage are VO2max and BMI. The jump height was not a significant factor in the model. In conclusion, BMI and VO2max are predictors of the obstacle test time with and without load carriage, so it is recommended that both variables are included as criteria for enrolment in the military army to guarantee army members exhibit the highest obstacle course performance possible. Highlight The VO2max and BMI are the best predictors of an obstacle course performance with/without load carriage. The jump height was not a significant performance factor. The VO2max and BMI are recommended as enrolment criteria for military army.