Any slice is predictive? On the consistency of impressions from the beginning, middle, and end of assessment center exercises and their relation to performance.

Ingold, Pia V.; Heimann, Anna Luca; Breil, Simon M.

Abstract

This study generates new insights on the role of initial impressions in assessment centers (ACs). Drawing from the “thin slices” of behavior paradigm in personality and social psychology, we investigate to what extent initial impressions of assessees – based on different slices of AC exercises (i.e., two minutes at the beginning, middle, and end of AC exercises) – are consistent across and within AC exercises, and are relevant for predicting AC performance and job performance. Employed individuals (N = 223) participated in three interactive AC exercises, while being observed and evaluated by trained assessors. Based upon video-recordings of all AC exercises, a different, untrained group of raters subsequently provided ratings of their general initial impressions of assessees for the beginning, middle, and end of each exercise. As criterion measure, supervisors rated assessees’ job performance. Results show that initial impressions in ACs are (a) relatively stable, (b) consistently predict AC performance across different slices of behavior (i.e., across the three time points and exercises), and (c) mostly relate to job performance.