DYNAMIC CRITERIA REVISITED - A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF PERFORMANCE STABILITY AND PREDICTIVE-VALIDITY

The concept of dynamic criteria has been the subject of a recent debate regarding both the definition and prevalence of the phenomenon (Austin, Humphreys, & Hulin, 1989; Barrett & Alexander, 1989; Barrett, Caldwell, & Alexander, 1985). The present paper questions the adequacy of the conceptual framework underlying the debate and provides data supporting a refined concept of dynamic criteria. The incidence and possible causes of change in relative performance were investigated using weekly performance data from 509 sewing machine operators. Analyses were conducted to determine the degree of performance consistency, potential moderators of consistency, and the stability of predictor‐criteria relationships using multiple predictors and criteria. Results revealed a steady decline in performance stability coefficients as the interval between measures increased. This decay was evident regardless of employees' prior job experience, cognitive ability, or psychomotor ability. Analyses of predictive validity coefficients revealed temporal changes in validity for both objective and subjective criteria, but not in the expected direction. The validity of cognitive ability increased, the validity of psychomotor ability was stable, and that of prior job experience decreased over time. Implications for theory and research are discussed. Copyright © 1990, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved