ABSTRACT
Cognitive ability tests represent the best single predictor of job performance, but also represent the predictor most likely to have substantial adverse impact on employment opportunities for members of several racial and ethnic minority groups. This chapter discusses the potential frameworks for examining conflicting perspectives on the role of cognitive ability measures in personnel selection, and reviews the several streams of evidence that have fueled the debate. There is abundant evidence that general cognitive ability is highly relevant in a wide range of jobs and settings. Since its inception, however, cognitive ability testing has been the focus o f sustained public controversy. Racial differences in cognitive ability test scores are known to be considerably larger than racial differences in measures of job performance. Efficiency and equity criteria are both valued by many members of society, and in situations where they come into conflict, the choice to emphasize one over the other is a statement of value.
