Reliability of personality and values tests: The effects of “high stakes” selection conditions, and of four years in medical school

Abstract

This study investigated if scores on tests of personal qualities are affected by whether they will determine selection decisions (“high stakes”) or not; and whether they are stable for individuals and groups across a four-year medical course. Two tests, one assessing values and one assessing components of personality, were administered either at the same time as a medical university entrance exam (first cohort; N = 216), or after entry was confirmed (second cohort; N = 142). Both cohorts took the tests again after four years of medical school. Analysis of variance was used to compare group mean scores and interactions, and correlation coefficients to measure temporal reliability. The high stakes cohort initially presented themselves in a significantly more positive light on the personality test. After four years of medical school scores on both tests changed significantly, towards more communitarian values and less empathic attitudes. Thus, personality scores were affected by both the conditions under which the initial tests were conducted and by the passage of time, but values only by the passage of time. Before and after scores were significantly correlated.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Professor Yoriko Kawakami, Tokyo Women's Medical University (TWMU), who proposed the trial use of PQA at TWMU, laid the basis for this research, and provided financial support for it.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Glossary

High versus low stakes assessments: High stakes refers to the situation in which a candidate for a test may be admitted or rejected depending on his/her results, for a pivotal outcome such as entry to medical school; low stakes refers to the situation in which the outcome is not critical, as in the case of voluntary responses for research purposes.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yuriko Fukui

Yuriko Fukui, DSc, is a Professor in the School of Medicine at Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.

Saeko Noda

Saeko Noda, PhD, is a Professor in the Graduate School of Language and Literature, Tsuda University, Tokyo, Japan.

Midori Okada

Midori Okada, PhD, is a Professor in the School of Medicine at Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.

Nakako Mihara

Nakako Mihara, MA, is a Lecturer in the School of Medicine at Tokyo Women’s Medical University, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Miles Bore

Miles Bore, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Deputy Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Don Munro

Don Munro, PhD, is a Conjoint Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Newcastle, Australia.

David Powis

David Powis, PhD, is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Newcastle, Australia.