Biographical information

Abstract

In industrial and organizational psychology, it is taken as a truism that one’s past behavior is the best predictor of one’s future behavior. This notion has a long history in the research on individual differences (Allport, 1937; Galton, 1902). What is treated as biographical data or, alternatively, “biodata,” has changed since it was first introduced as a method of measurement. Originally, it represented relatively objective items that addressed one’s background (e.g., education level, gender, ethnicity, address, previous jobs, number of siblings). Responses to these items were differentially weighted and scored relative to their relationship with some outside criterion an investigator was interested in predicting (England, 1971). Biodata have evolved to include items addressing one’s hobbies, interests, recreational preferences, educational and job preferences, experiences, and self-appraisals (Hough & Paullin, 1994). When biodata are discussed in this chapter, the broader, more inclusive definition of that term is used unless specifically stated otherwise. Although this approach to measurement has been used most frequently in work and educational contexts, examples of its use in other contexts is provided as well (e.g., social, clinical, and developmental psychology). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved). (chapter)