Limits in Generalization from Psychological Research to Performance Appraisal Processes

Discussion focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of some of the techniques employed in social psychological research with respect to the needs of performance appraisal. The purpose is to identify some basic methodological needs in performance appraisal research and to determine whether these needs...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Academy of Management review 1985-04, Vol.10 (2), p.311
Main Authors: Ilgen, Daniel R, Favero, Janet L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Performance appraisal
Psychological research
Social psychology
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Summary:Discussion focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of some of the techniques employed in social psychological research with respect to the needs of performance appraisal. The purpose is to identify some basic methodological needs in performance appraisal research and to determine whether these needs can be fulfilled by methods commonly applied in basic social psychological research conducted for reasons other than understanding performance appraisals. Many of the experimental paradigms, variables, and subject populations on which the basic research was conducted have only limited generalizability to the performance appraisal context. As a result, these studies have largely neglected 3 important elements of performance appraisal: 1. the rater/ratee interdependence, 2. future interactions between rater and ratee, and 3. ratee behaviors versus the consequences. Three specific theories within person perception research are discussed: 1. attribution, 2. implicit personality, and 3. social cognition.
ISSN:0363-7425
1930-3807
DOI:10.2307/257972