Introduction to Legal Issues in Personnel Selection
Although EEO/AA are legal, not psychological topics, they have had an enormous impact on the science and practice of Personnel Psychology, especially as it relates to staffing. In fact, some have called the EEO laws of the 60’s and 70’s the "Bills of Employment Rights" for I/O Psychologists. This is because employers were suddenly responsible for using properly developed indicators of individual differences (instead of poor indicators like class membership, familial relationship, or demographics) as the basis for selection decisions. I/O psychologists are rigorously trained in how to construct adequate psychological measurements, and have a long tradition of providing such measures to organizations (since about 1908). Thus, their skills were suddenly in very broad demand. Since that time, virtually all the large organizations in the US (private and public) have used, and in many cases hired as permanent staff, I/O psychologists. Their value of course goes beyond selection and staffing issues, and I/O psychologists are involved in a tremendous variety of activities within organizations.