Technical b r Report - International Military Testing Association

shift the level of consciousness to let go of value-laden thought.
Although not qulto In the 6838 way as hypnosis does, ?H produces with the
nantra applied, an almost Immediate change in the mental and physiologIcal
functionIn& (?fallaco, 1970). ,
!
This short dofinitlm Is practical1 y all that need be stated about
the Identity Jf ‘l?! as a technique. The agreetent on Its potential effect
in personnel avaluation is yet t3 be aclcnorledged. 30 let us exercise
the collective IanglnatIon to,the point that we may odtit thero at-o many
contingencies which vi11 become evident in future developments in personnel
evaPJatIon, testing and personnel system analysis. Tilding the crest of the
wave with statl6tlcal applicatisns and computerized innovations, testable
b&avIor has been nainly explaloed as s dependent variable In response to
tasks set before tho hunan subject. Rchavlor not directly percoptlble
through the nearly always observable channels of peychonotor evaluation Is
routinely dlsmlssed as not in the te-rltorial interest of the practicing
behavioral sclontlct. Few mdels oi hmaa behavior should be propxted
to account for altored states of consciousness and connected behavior.
How nay these Stat06 tend to produce systematic varlatlons in behavior when
all pOsSibh characteristics In selected individuals appear to bo Blnllar?
Xhat Related Ideas and finctions of ‘37 Can 3e Sug,ce.sted?
To a certain oxtent I believe NC Clelland (1973) psas speaking of
something bordorinl: on a change In a theory of testing when he 6pecIfIed
"tests should involvo operant as ee2.l as respondent behavior," and "te6ts
should sample operant thought pattern6 to get naxlnua generalIzabLlity to
various action outcome6."w Re goes on to say that “the. tester of tho future
Is likely to Get farther in finding genera,l.Izable competencles of character
lstlcs across llfo sutcones If he starts by focusing on thought patterns
rather than by tryin,: to Infer what thoughts must be behind the clusters of
action that come out In various factors in\ the traditional trait analysis.”
Yet tic Clelland has only seen fit to apF?O'obCh the edges of the testing
dolaIn, and bala.&cas precarl~us1:~ to not ihply further that ne rzl;ht well
.Study those p8ychdc variables mhIc:1 IrngactjLn the levels of cm6cIou6ness
and thus affect the thought patterns.
To get behind thought patterns
/
for testing pUrpo608 Will avo Interested
sclentlsts no end s? culzzlcal moments -&en the:: attenpt to learn about
the uconditlons 05 knowInS” that many of ,us were taught to be forbidden
territory. ?oday obscrvln; human enerC::$research trends In Sidphgoics
and such lnter-llscipllnary flefds, If thk ps::choph::sIclst does net emerge
to work nith the innwotlve experimental clinlcan the future of huzan
understanding and rseaouzenent could well be recove4 froa the hands of
conservative theorists and Rractlticncrs. Row could this ever happen
experienced pspch~logists will say attempting to think c.f flaws in the
1sgi.c of this pawr. Very ueli., then, I ~111 hazard several predictive
views under uhlch, the TtT influence cf defined level6 0: csnscieusnoss
might g-lvc dlffcring lnsl5hts in relatisn to how certain varletloe of measured
behavix- czuld be interpreted. The-, II these predictive vicns do
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