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Are the results of questionnaires measuring non-cognitive characteristics during the selection procedure for medical school application biased by social desirability?

ABSTRACT: Introduction: A stronger consideration of non-cognitive characteristics in Medical School application procedures is desirable. Psychometric tests could be used as an economic supplement to face-to-face interviews which are frequently conducted during university internal procedures for Medical School applications (AdH, Auswahlverfahren der Hochschulen). This study investigates whether the results of psychometric questionnaires measuring non-cognitive characteristics such as personality traits, empathy, and resilience towards stress are vulnerable to distortions of social desirability when used in the context of selection procedures at Medical Schools. Methods: This study took place during the AdH of Lübeck University in August 2015. The following questionnaires have been included: NEO-FFI, SPF, and AVEM. In a 2x1 between-subject experiment we compared the answers from an alleged application condition and a control condition. In the alleged application condition we told applicants that these questionnaires were part of the application procedure. In the control condition applicants were informed about the study prior to completing the questionnaires. Results: All included questionnaires showed differences which can be regarded as social-desirability effects. These differences did not affect the entire scales but, rather, single subscales. Conclusion: These results challenge the informative value of these questionnaires when used for Medical School application procedures. Future studies may investigate the extent to which the differences influence the actual selection of applicants and what implications can be drawn from them for the use of psychometric questionnaires as part of study-place allocation procedures at Medical Schools.

SUBMITTER: Obst KU

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5135419 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Are the results of questionnaires measuring non-cognitive characteristics during the selection procedure for medical school application biased by social desirability?

Obst Katrin U KU Brüheim Linda L Westermann Jürgen J Katalinic Alexander A Kötter Thomas T

GMS journal for medical education 20161115 5

<b>Introduction:</b> A stronger consideration of non-cognitive characteristics in Medical School application procedures is desirable. Psychometric tests could be used as an economic supplement to face-to-face interviews which are frequently conducted during university internal procedures for Medical School applications (AdH, Auswahlverfahren der Hochschulen). This study investigates whether the results of psychometric questionnaires measuring non-cognitive characteristics such as personality tra ...[more]

PMID: 27990471

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Project description:Research indicates that certain personality traits relate to performance in the medical profession. Yet, personality testing during selection seems ineffective. In this study, we examine the extent to which different medical school selection processes call upon desirable personality characteristics in applicants.1019 of all 1055 students who entered the Dutch Bachelor of Medicine at University of Groningen, the Netherlands in 2009, 2010 and 2011 were included in this study. Students were admitted based on either top pre-university grades (n = 139), acceptance in a voluntary multifaceted selection process (n = 286), or lottery weighted for pre-university GPA. Within the lottery group, we distinguished between students who had not participated (n = 284) and students who were initially rejected (n = 310) in the voluntary selection process. Two months after admission, personality was assessed with the NEO-FFI, a measure of the five factor model of personality. We performed ANCOVA modelling with gender as a covariate to examine personality differences between the four groups.The multifaceted selection group scored higher on extraversion than all other groups(p<0.01), higher on conscientiousness than both lottery-admitted groups(p<0.01), and lower on neuroticism than the lottery-admitted group that had not participated in the voluntary selection process. The latter group scored lower on conscientiousness than all other groups(p<0.05) and lower on agreeableness than the multifaceted selection group and the top pre-university group(p<0.01).Differences between the four admission groups, though statistically significant, were relatively small. Personality scores in the group admitted through the voluntary multifaceted selection process seemed most fit for the medical profession. Personality scores in the lottery-admitted group that had not participated in this process seemed least fit for the medical profession. It seems that in order to select applicants with suitable personalities, an admission process that calls upon desirable personality characteristics is beneficial.

Project description:Objective: The concept of perfectionism comprises high standards of performance as needed in medicine, but also concerns about making mistakes and dealing with social reactions about not being perfect. Perfectionism is associated with motivation and deep learning strategies but high expression of perfectionism has been found to be associated with symptoms of stress and anxiety in students. We aim to gain insights into the longitudinal development of different dimensions of perfectionism in medical students with respect to their way of medical school admission. Methods: At the Medical Faculty of Hamburg University, 167 undergraduate medical students completed validated questionnaires (MPS-H and MPS-F) of different dimensions of perfectionism and sociodemographic data including medical school admission procedures, personality traits (BSI-10 and GSE), and symptoms of depression and anxiety (PHQ-9 and GAD-7) at the start of their first year and at half term of their second year. Results: On average, after controlling for baseline and age, a significant decrease (p?0.05) in Self-Oriented Perfectionism was found during the first two years in students who were admitted after a waiting period (M: -12.57; 95% CI: [-21.94 - -3.35]), by other ways of medical school entrance (M: -6.36; 95% CI: [-12.71 - -0.02]), by multiple mini-interviews (HAM-Int) (M: -5.52; 95% CI: [-9.90 - -1.14]), and by a natural science test (HAM-Nat) (M: -3.41; 95% CI: [-6.71 - -0.11]. Waiting period students also showed a significant longitudinal decline in the scale Personal Standards (M: -4.62; 95% CI: [-8.04 - -1.21]. Conclusions: Since medical students from all admission groups except from the high school degree group showed a significant longitudinal decrease in Self-Oriented Perfectionism, high levels of aspects of perfectionism associated with intrinsic motivation or deep learning strategies could be included medical school admission processes. Additionally, particular attention needs to be paid not to induce a loss of intrinsic motivation or deep learning strategies during undergraduate medical education.

Project description:AIMS: Tests with natural-scientific content are predictive of the success in the first semesters of medical studies. Some universities in the German speaking countries use the 'Test for medical studies' (TMS) for student selection. One of its test modules, namely "medical and scientific comprehension", measures the ability for deductive reasoning. In contrast, the Hamburg Assessment Test for Medicine, Natural Sciences (HAM-Nat) evaluates knowledge in natural sciences. In this study the predictive power of the HAM-Nat test will be compared to that of the NatDenk test, which is similar to the TMS module "medical and scientific comprehension" in content and structure. METHODS: 162 medical school beginners volunteered to complete either the HAM-Nat (N=77) or the NatDenk test (N=85) in 2007. Until spring 2011, 84.2% of these successfully completed the first part of the medical state examination in Hamburg. Via different logistic regression models we tested the predictive power of high school grade point average (GPA or "Abiturnote") and the test results (HAM-Nat and NatDenk) with regard to the study success criterion "first part of the medical state examination passed successfully up to the end of the 7(th) semester" (Success7Sem). The Odds Ratios (OR) for study success are reported. RESULTS: For both test groups a significant correlation existed between test results and study success (HAM-Nat: OR=2.07; NatDenk: OR=2.58). If both admission criteria are estimated in one model, the main effects (GPA: OR=2.45; test: OR=2.32) and their interaction effect (OR=1.80) are significant in the HAM-Nat test group, whereas in the NatDenk test group only the test result (OR=2.21) significantly contributes to the variance explained. CONCLUSIONS: On their own both HAM-Nat and NatDenk have predictive power for study success, but only the HAM-Nat explains additional variance if combined with GPA. The selection according to HAM-Nat and GPA has under the current circumstances of medical school selection (many good applicants and only a limited number of available spaces) the highest predictive power of all models.

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Are the results of questionnaires measuring non-cognitive characteristics during the selection procedure for medical school application biased by social desirability?

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Are the results of questionnaires measuring non-cognitive characteristics during the selection procedure for medical school application biased by social desirability?

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