NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS: PARAMETERS OF BIODATA INVASIVENESS

• Published in: Personnel psychology Vol. 49; no. 3; pp. 613 - 650
• Main Authors: MAEL, FRED A., CONNERLEY, MARY, MORATH, RAY A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.1996; Personnel Psychology, Inc
• Subjects: Beliefs; Cognitive Ability; Family Characteristics; Individual Differences; Invasion of privacy; Perceptions; Privacy; Psychological aspects; Psychologists; Society; Studies; Work Sample Tests; United States > US
• ISSN: 0031-5826; 1744-6570
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.1996.tb01587.x

In this research, biodata items were evaluated for their perceived invasiveness by over 200 professionals (psychologists and social scientists), as well as three samples of nonprofessionals. In addition to item subject matter, perceived invasiveness of items was related to various biodata attributes, in that items that were more verifiable, more transparent in purpose, and more impersonal were seen as less invasive. Subjects with more positive attitudes toward biodata and organizational selection measures viewed fewer items as invasive, as did those with more education. Dispositional variables and gender were related to invasiveness perceptions in some samples. Four general motives or topics were determined to generate the greatest concern: fear of stigmatization, concern about having applicants recall traumatic events, intimacy, and religion. The results may help develop consensus about defining “invasive” and contribute to ways of reducing perceptions of invasiveness.