Explain The Risk Of Moderator Variables During Assessment

4. Risk of moderator variables during assessment

A moderator variable is a variable that may affect the relationship between two other variables. As such, predictors and criteria for some candidates who have a particular score on the moderator variable could display different relationships than the predictors and criteria of other candidates, who have an alternative score on the moderator variable. Examples of moderator variables could include gender, age, length of service, and nationality (Spector, 2012).
Culture can be seen as an important moderator variable within psychological test performance because culture affects behaviour and consequently the psychological constructs being measured. Meaning that various moderating variables such
(1988) state that test scores correlate with non-test variables such as test-taking behaviour, cultural and/or environmental factors, and dispositional factors. 1. Test-taking behaviour concerns such factors as level of education, language and practice or familiarity with tests and testing. 2. Cultural and environmental factors relate to aspects such as the effects of rural or urban residence, acculturation, and various preferences associated with ethnicity. 3. Dispositional factors include age and gender, both of which correlate with test performance.
4.1. Approaches to cross-cultural assessment
By addressing the issues associated with using psychometric instruments four different approaches has been developed:
1. Apply: Instruments that has been developed in one particular social context can simply be applied to all groups across different sociocultural settings without checking the meaningfulness and psychometric properties such as reliability and validity of the instruments (Moerdyk, 2015).
2. Translate/adapt: Existing tests and measures can be adapted and translated into the language of the target group. However, this goes beyond a literal and even idiomatic translation in order to ensure the proper conceptual translation of the test material (Moerdyk 2015).
3. Develop culture-friendly tests: Develop instruments that are designed to measure the targeted construct in ways that are “user friendly” in specific cross-cultural con- texts (Moerdyk
Three acts address psychological assessment practice in South Africa, namely the Health Professions Act, the Employment Equity Act and the Labour Relations Act.
4.2.1. Health Professions Act (56 of 1974)
While dealing with a number of issues, the Health Professions Act (56 of 1974) focuses on matters central to psychology and deals with issues around the regulation of psychological assessment practice in South Africa. This includes the establishment and mandates of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), the Professional Board for Psychology and the Psychometrics Committee of the Professional Board for Psychology; the requirement for professional registration and scope of practice; and the classification of psychological tests (Mauer, 2000).
4.2.2. Labour Relations Act (66 of