44
EMPLOYMENT PSYCHOLOGY
this standard is determined is one of the most interesting
and important steps in applying the results of an ex
periment.
The curves on the following page are drawn for each of
the three significant tests. Before these curves were
drawn, the inspectors tested were divided into two classes,
the piece-workers and the day-workers. The piece
workers are represented by the solid line, and consist of
those who have made good as inspectors. The day-workers
are represented by the dotted line, and consist of those
who were too dull or slow to make piece-work.
When the results of the tests are represented in this way,
their practical significance for the employment office be
comes immediately apparent. On the basis of their per
formance in the tests, the day-workers and piece-workers
separate themselves into two distinct groups, the day-
workers on the right and the piece-workers on the left.
The nearer the curves approach the left, the quicker and
better the work in the tests. This is shown by the numbers
on the horizontal line. These numbers, as has been stated,
express the number of seconds taken to do the test in
cluding corrections. The day-workers, for the most part,
took so many more seconds that their curve is very far
to the right.
Now, if the employment manager had taken as the
basis for selecting applicants the time represented by the
points at which the two curves cross, what would have
been the result? The applicants represented by the
larger curve would have been accepted while those rep
resented by the smaller curve would have been rejected.
In brief, those applicants who subsequently proved their
ability by becoming piece-workers would have been
selected, while those who subsequently proved their