Comparability of GATB scores for immigrants and majority group members: Some Dutch findings.

Abstract

The central question addressed in this article is whether the test scores of immigrants and majority group members reflect the same dimensions.Use was made of scores on the Dutch version of the General Aptitude Test Battery on first-generation immigrants (N = 1,322) and majority group members (N = 806) who applied for blue-collar jobs in the Netherlands.The group differences with respect to the construct validity were small.Spearman's hypothesis that general intelligence is the predominant factor determining the size of the differences between 2 groups was borne out significantly.The test can be put to good use for comparisons within culturally homogeneous groups of non-nativeborn, non-native-language minorities.Use of the test for comparisons between immigrant and majority group members, however, requires supplementary research.Following Bmet's (Binet & Simon, 1905) example, standardized ability tests were developed in Western countries, and they are now being used all over the world.An important question is whether this use is justifiable on the grounds of the results of empirical research.Because important selection decisions are often made on the basis of test scores, small group differences in validity can have large consequences for groups.Test users are therefore obliged to base their professional judgments on instruments having an established validity.Research on White and non-White populations in North America and Europe shows that standardized ability tests have pre…