Indirect processes in criterion-related validity

Four indirect processes affecting the relationship between self-reported personality attributes and rated job behaviors were examined: through correlated personality attributes which are conceptually concordant with a criterion, through correlated cognitive ability conceptually concordant with a criterion, through correlated concepts in general, and in terms of an emphasis on motivation. It was shown that all four indirect processes contributed to the magnitude of personality – behavior correlations, both singly and in combination, over and above variations in inherent logical overlap, scale reliability and the observability of a criterion. The same pattern was present for conventional validity coefficients (correlations between self-reports and ratings by a supervisor) and judgments all made by a single individual, suggesting that the measured validity of personality scales reflects general perceptions about interdependencies among attributes.