COGNITIVE ABILITY TESTS

Cognitive Ability Tests
Name
Institution
Organizations are formed with the aim of achieving unique goals. This means that a variety of things must be done to ensure that the company’s objectives are attained at the end of the period. One of the strategies used is planning, evaluation, and then predicting the future. Therefore, to predict what will happen some tools are required such as historical data of the financial performance of the company. However, due to the advancement of technology things have changed and even employees are used as predictors of the future. This means the employer should conduct cognitive tests among his or her employees. Also, there are ethical values and statutory obligations that must be followed. As a result, this is the most challenging thing for the employers to know whether they are doing what is right or violating the set laws governing the welfare of employees. For instance, it is the responsibility of the employers to predict the performance of the company. At the same time, there are some legal implications because of certain decisions they cannot make. In this essay, we will be analyzing whether it is fair for firms to use the cognitive test to predict the organization’s performance given that they have adverse effects to the minority (Macan et al., 2014).
It should be noted that cognitive tests are mainly used during employee selection exercise. Employers use it because they believe it is the best measure that can be used to know the behavior of the candidates that are selected for various positions.

For example, the managers may want to know how an individual will respond to harsh working conditions and their learning process. Despite this measure being utilized by several employers, it has adverse effects adverse consequences. The impact is only felt by the minority. The main reason why it is only a small percentage of people who are affected is that this test is carried out during the selection exercise and hiring process, a few tend to attain a low score as compared to the majority in the same test. This means that the minority will not get the desired positions (Lohman et al.2001).
As a result of the adverse effects that are experienced when using cognitive tests, it is not appropriate for firms to use them. This is because the process does not provide adequate information regarding the candidates. Therefore, there are chances of discrimination during the selection exercise because the participants are not given equal opportunities to express themselves. Additionally, there is the violation of human rights when using cognitive tests. At times the employers are confident that this will be a good method to use in selecting the employees to enable the firm to attain its goals. However, this might be a wrong assumption as the score achieved by individuals during the selection process may only reflect their job qualifications but does not indicate their power to do work. Therefore, using this method means that there are some individuals who will be left out and yet they were the best candidates for the job. Additionally, bias and personal judgment can lead to disqualification of a particular candidate. As a result, it is essential for a new selection criterion that can give all the candidates equal chances during selection, and the right individual chosen for the position.
 
References
Lohman, D. F., Thorndike, R. L., Hagen, E. P., Smith, P., Fernandes, C., & Strand, S. (2001). Cognitive abilities test. Rolling Meadows, IL: Riverside.
Macan, T. H., Avedon, M. J., Paese, M., & Smith, D. E. (2014). The effects of applicants’ reactions to cognitive ability tests and an assessment center. Personnel Psychology, 47(4), 715-738.