I__. - International Military Testing Association

purpose of the employment interview is to select in personnel. The rejection rate for
investigative interviews is about 1% to 5%, while the selection ratio for employment interviews
is typically about 20% to 60%. The focus of investigative interviews is on behavioral constructs
such as behavior unreliability and unsuitability, while employment interviews focus on cognitive
ability, motivation, and communication skills. Perhaps most importantly, the motivational
approach used is very different for these two settings. The consequences of providing good
information in an investigative interview is the avoidance of punishment and the reward of a job
for the employment interviewee.
Needed Research
Although the interview has been extensively studied as a method of gathering
information, little research is available regarding its use in the investigative interview setting. A
variety of investigative interviewing procedures are currently in use and the large literature on
other interview settings suggest additional procedures to consider. Research is needed to
systematically evaluate the effectiveness of these various investigative interview methods.
One major finding from employment interview research can probably be generalized to
the investigative interview--the most impressive gains in interview validity result from the
systematic study of the performance criteria that is to be predicted. Research that defines the
psychological dimensions and behavioral detail of security relevant performance can contribute
to significant improvements improving interviewer training, assessing personnel security risks,
and predicting unreliable behavior.
REFERENCES
Bosshardt, M.J., DuBois, D.A., Carter, G.W., & Paullin, C. (1989). The investigative interview:
A review of practice and related research (Technical report No. 160). Minneapolis, MN:
Personnel Decisions Research Institute.
Flyer, ES. (1986). Personnel securitv research: Prescreening and background investigations
(Report No. HUMMRRO-FR-86-01). Alexandria, VA: HUMRRO International, Inc.
Lipton, J.P. (1977). On the psychology of eyewitness testimony. Journal of Applied
Psvchologv, a(l), 90-95.
Loftus, E. (1982). Interrogating witnesses--good questions and bad. In R. M. Hogarth (Ed.),
Guestion framing and response consistency. San Francisco: Jossey-Rass.
Office of Personnel Investigations. (1986). Subiect interview study: Phase I report.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
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