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The PREP Profile System & PSP | |
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What is PSP profiling? | |
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PSP profile reports | |
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Profiling products, clients and implementation | |
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FAQ | |
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QuadRed | |
Probably more information than you really want or need to know — however, if you do not see your question answered here, please contact us at 717.397.7384 or kirby@klmartzall.com.
Send in your question and we'll respond to you directly. We update this FAQ periodically to include any items of increased interest to our users.
General Research Legal System Requirements Support
PREP has been in the personality profiling and software business since 1984 and involved in personality research and product development since 1977. The company was founded in Bend, Oregon, originally as P.R.E.P. (People-Reading Effectiveness Programs), by JoAn Mann, MBA. Today the K L Martzall Center for Assessment & Insight uses the Personal Strengths Profile (PSP) as a foundational assessment tool.
How do I get started using PSP's Profiling tools?
Depending on your goals and needs, next steps could be:
Since every situation is different, the best approach is to contact us. In one conversation we can review your needs and assist in establishing your next step!
What is the cost of a poor hiring decision?
The cost of turnover is an elusive figure that can sabotage your bottom
line without you ever seeing it. Calculating its dollars-and-cents impact
isn't that exact, but those who have analyzed the effects of turnover say
that as much as 80% of its cost is hidden.
There are a variety of estimates about the cost of turnover and its effect on various industries. Some studies indicate that labor turnover costs are between $10,000 and $20,000. A study of upper-level managers and executives estimated the average cost of turnover at 1.5 times the annual salary of the job. It also said that it took an average of 13.5 months for new employees to maximize their efficiency.
Other studies indicate that within the first 6 months of employment an organization will spend between $5,000 and $50,000 on every new employee.
What are the direct costs?
Additionally, the cost of your time...
If the wrong people are hired...
Having to go through the hiring process again.
How was this developed?
In PSP, the four dimensions measured are based on the works of Hippocrates,
Carl Jung, Raymond Cattell, Alfred Adler, Gordon Allport, David Kiersay,
Kathryn C. Briggs, Isabel Briggs-Myers, Samuel Houston, and others.
All words used in PSP were screened for the highest possible correlation for reliability factors; 94% of the words are eighth grade vocabulary with none higher than a common tenth grade reading level.
PSP has undergone a complete validation battery including:
How does the Personal Strengths Profile (PSP) compare to other instruments?
Myers-Briggs: Of all the personality assessment
instruments, The CORE Profile is most like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
The cross correlations in the initial validation and norming of the PSP were
done with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Other than PSP's Natural Style
Profile, there is not a great deal that is duplicated in the M-B instrument.
The Stress profiles and overall stress to energy reserve (responsiveness)
measurements are unique, as well as the First Impression Profile. M-Bs scoring
is not as simple; the words have not been normed for the eighth grade reading
level. Statistically, PSP tests stronger internally and has fewer internal
correlations than the M-B Type Indicator.
MMPI: The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is an extensive psychological profile that measures abnormalities within the personality. It is a clinical instrument that has high validity in detecting a great number of personality abnormalities. The instrument was normed for the abnormal population. The PSP should not be used in place of the MMPI in detecting abnormal personalities or behavioral preferences. The PSP was normed on a normal population and therefore should be used with individuals in the normal population range.
Strong Campbell: The Strong Campbell Interest Inventory indicates career preferences according to interests of individuals within those careers. The instrument has a strong database and gives a wide variety of careers to consider, but without regard to a person's specific personality type. Combining the Strong-Campbell with the PSP can give a strong picture of the optimal careers by superimposing the PSP career data base and matrix onto the Strong-Campbell results. Regardless of how sophisticated or comprehensive, no career inventory can take into account specific personal values an individual may have that may be key in job satisfaction and success!
Other Personality Profiles: The PSP's Natural Style will usually correlate strongly with other personality instruments based on either the Jungian or Hippocratic (Quadrant) personality trait preference models. PSP specifically combines these two models into one with the combination of traits along with problem-solving and communication styles.
How was the instrument validated?
The Survey validation was conducted in 1984 and longitudinally in 1991-1992
by Dr. Samuel Houston, then Department Chair of Math and Applied Statistics
at the University of Northern Colorado and JoAn Mann, MBA. The PSP was designed
to bring three new elements into personality assessment:
The PSP profile was then longitudinally cross-correlated with the Myers-Briggs in a sampling of adult students at Western State College in Oregon.
Cross-correlations with the PDP Second edition survey were also conducted.
An analysis of internal correlations of the PSP indicates extremely high test strengths (that is, having no internal correlations) with the Problem solving style, Communications style, Exacting trait, Relaxed trait, Proactive vs. Responsive, Outgoing and Controlling traits in the Natural style. The significance level used was .0001.
What industry benchmarks have
you conducted?
Using the PREP Job Benchmarking statistical process, a number of positions
have been extensively analyzed over the past sixteen years. The following
is a sampling:
Accounting: bookkeeping, CPA's, payroll
Athletic Clubs: front desk reception, cafe, aerobics instructors, racquet instructors, swimming instruction, programming, housekeeping
Banking: tellers, new accounts, branch managers, credit administrators, marketing, trust departments
Car Dealerships: sales, sales managers, service, parts, administration
Education: teachers, principals, special education, librarians, counselors
Forest Service/BLM: ombudsman, district manager, area manager, recreation specialist, real estate transactions, office staff, public relations
High Tech/R&D: scientists, bench chemists, test engineers, design engineers, PhD's, analytical chemists, chemical engineers, computer specialists, all for large and entrepreneurial firms
Hospitality: front desk, housekeeping, managers, h-r directors, restaurant servers, cooks, host staff, reservations, information desk, reception, sales & catering
Human Resources: directors, benefits administrators, interviewing, general staff
Land/Developers: contractors, land developers, skilled and unskilled workers
Legal: corporate attorneys, trial attorneys, legal assistants
Manufacturing: supervisors, entry, leads, computerized, manual
Medical Offices: front office staff, back office staff (clinics); hospital nurses in a variety of departments, physical therapy, physicians (large and small clinics), physician assistants, collections, filing
Newspapers: sales, managers, night supervisors
Office: clerical, reception, filing, administrators
Radio Media: sales, programming, sales managers, office managers
Real Estate: sales, brokers, clerical
Ski Resorts: lift operators, ticket collectors, information and guest services, cafeteria staff, managers, sales
Social Services: counselors, social service staff, fund raisers, clerical
Stock & Financial: brokers, office administrators, assistants
Utilities: line workers, managers, night supervisors
Can this survey be manipulated?
When the PSP is administered properly the chances of the survey being manipulated
are greatly reduced. It would be virtually impossible for a psychological
or behavioral profile to be completely foolproof. However, PSP has taken
several steps to safeguard against such a situation:
How was your population normed when you initially researched the
PSP?
The initial norming of the PSP was conducted in 1984. Over 1,000 surveys
were administered to adults and teenagers aged 13-92. The following represents
the groups and ages surveyed:
There was a cross-section of the population in the US, with geographic areas, ethnic backgrounds, gender differences represented. 90-day test-retests were conducted for reliability measurements on 100 individuals, with a .91 reliability factor for traits remaining consistently on the same side of the norm line. (Those traits further from the norm line were more predictable than those within one standard deviation.)
How do you arrive at the interpretation of cumulative long-term
stress?
By comparing how the individual feels about himself or herself and comparing
this to how this individual feels he or she is perceived by others, we can
measure the differential of the perceived need for change. PSP measures interpersonal
stress, a key stress of modern society.
This measurement was conceived and validated in two 1983 studies conducted at AT&T in Denver, Colorado, with 40 participants in each study. The profile was administered to two classes of Technology Skills for Hardware Installation. A correlation to success (measured with grade point average and 6-month positive performance review in the hardware installation position) was sought for personality factors. A straight-line correlation was found between the absolute differential of the person's perception of self and how others perceived him or her. Since that time, the PSP has been validated and used in medical settings and cross-correlated with illness, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Holmes-Rahe Social Adjustment Scale — all with similar results to the two AT&T studies.
Won't the results differ depending upon the test environment?
If the testing environment is disruptive in any way, there is a high probability
the responses will not be as duplicable as when the testing environment is
calm and unpressured. Additionally, there are individuals who are more environmentally
sensitive than others. These people may note some variation on their profiles
that is environment dependent. However, there will in all likelihood be consistencies
within their profiles. Example: The adaptive personality type is often environmentally
responsive. The profile width usually remains within one inch or less, even
though the traits may fluctuate.
Does this profile meet EEOC requirements?
EEOC sets clear guidelines for skills-based testing. Personality profiles
do not have such specific standards. A personality profile is considered
validated when statistical studies for internal correlations, cross correlations,
reliability and other test constructs prove the instrument measures what
it intends to measure. The PSP has met all those requirements with strong
test reliability, consistency and validity in test/re-test situations.
When using PSP as a hiring tool, the instrument must be validated for the specific position by a relatively simple process of measuring and comparing top and lower performers' PSP scores and using the data that shows to be statistically significant.
Has this survey been challenged in court and will the PSP Stress
measurements/interpretation stand up in court?
The PREP Profile Systems Personal Strengths Profile has never been challenged
in court. There have been cases of abnormal personality instruments
(e.g. MMPI not PSP type surveys) being challenged in court.
(e.g., 1989 California vs. state employees.)
The chances of the PSP being challenged in court are decreased when an administrator follows certain guidelines:
These measurements were not designed for evaluating psychological stress for court cases, but rather to be a tool for professionals that signal barriers to optimal personal productivity. PREP Profile Systems, Inc. does not recommend the use of PSP as an applied court test. Administrators are advised to use the stress indicators and subsequent interpretations as red-flag discussion areas and pursue further analysis using other instruments with substantial legal and medical documentation that would be specifically diagnostic for apparent symptoms.
When combined with other medical findings, the PSP appears to have a strong correlation in identifying depression and predicting the most successful approach to communicating treatment to patients. Medical validation studies are in progress currently and will continue to be conducted in the future.What are the system requirements for completing the PSP online?
Access
to the internet/www is all that is required. Reports are issued
as a PDF so Acrobat Reader is required (can be downloaded at no cost directly
from Adobe Acrobat on the web: www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat
How do I get support for questions about the Profiles?
For questions regarding profiles, you can reach us at 717.397.7384.
You can also email: kirby@klmartzall.com.
