The importance of situation evaluation and the ability to identify criteria in a construct-driven situational judgment test

Situational judgment tests (SJTs) typically focus on candidates' judgment of various response options and ignore the process of arriving at that judgment. In three studies, we developed two situational construal measures (i.e., situation evaluation and the ability to identify criteria [ATIC]) based on a construct-driven SJT measuring cooperativeness. We tested their role in the response judgment process and examined their incremental validity in predicting work performance. Study 1 (N = 30) provided qualitative evidence that situation evaluation and ATIC shape response judgment. Study 2 (Nstudent = 136, Nemployee = 154) showed that situation evaluation predicts response judgment. Moreover, situation evaluation had incremental validity in predicting supervisor-rated task performance and peer-rated interpersonal performance over and above response judgment and ATIC. Furthermore, ATIC predicted response judgment and had incremental validity in predicting interpersonal performance but not task performance over and above response judgment. Finally, Study 3 (N = 266) replicated the findings of Study 2 using a new sample and yielded similar results regardless of the order in which situation evaluation and response judgment were measured.