Background. The paper is based on specifics of the professional activity of specialists of the State Inspectorate of Small Size Vessels of Russian EMERCOM (SISSV) is a highly demanding job that requires specific individual psychological features to successfully fulfill their duties. Such individual psychological features are important for experts, and also for candidates to the positions in the GIMS used as recruitment criteria.
The Objective. of the study is to identify job skills that determine the professional effectiveness of SISSV experts, to identify the relationship between job skills and career success and to determine psychological indicators strongly associated with success.
Design. An expert survey (N = 40) was conducted to determine psychological indicators that contribute to professional success of SISSV experts. We carried out psychological assessment of acting SISSV experts (N = 275) to determine the presence and the level of necessary skills. Based on expert assessments, the inspectors were assigned to either successful or unsuccessful groups. The resulting polar groups were compared using Mann-Whitney criterion. Correlation analysis (Spearman) was used to access the strength of association between professional success and job skills. We also used factor and regression analyses to model the structure of job skills associated with professional success of acting SISSV specialists and job applicants.
Results. allowed to establish reliable differences between the polar groups on following characteristics (p ≤ 0.05): intelligence, abstract and operative thinking, intellectual liability, attention characteristics (volume, concentration, selection, distribution). They were defined as job skills for SISSV experts. The results of correlation analysis (p = 0.01, p = 0.05) showed that the specialists professional success depended on the presence and level of formation of job skills. We determined the structure of job skills associated with professional success.
Conclusion. The obtained results may be used to optimize the processes of psychological monitoring and psychological selection of the acting specialists of SISSV of Russian EMERCOM and applicant for the position.
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Keywords: professional activity; sociability; professionally important qualities; activity effectiveness; expert;
Available Online 31.03.2020
Table 1. Job skills required for career success in SISSV EMERCOM of Russia (expert survey, N = 40)
Job Skills |
Level |
1. Basic intelligence |
Above average |
2. Flexibility of thinking, mobility and speed of switching of thought processes |
Above average |
3. Volume of attention |
Above average |
4. Concentration of attention |
Above average |
5. Attention distribution |
Average and above average |
6. Attention switching |
Average and above average |
7. Attention span |
Average and above average |
8. Selective Attention |
Average and above average |
9. Short-term memory |
Above average |
10. Long-term memory |
Above average |
11. Random access memory |
Above average |
12. Realistic thinking |
Availability is important |
13. Synthetic thinking |
Availability is important |
14. Analytical thinking |
Availability is important |
15. Pragmatic thinking |
Availability is important |
16. Idealistic thinking |
Availability possible but not required |
17. Communicative skills |
Above average |
18. Organizational skills |
Average and above average |
19. Neuropsychic resistance |
High |
20. Personal anxiety |
Low |
21. Internal locus of control |
Availability possible but not required |
22. Leadership in collaboration |
Average and above average |
23. Achievement motivation |
Availability possible but not required |
Table 2. Psychodiagnostic tools used in the examination of SISSV experts EMERCOM of Russia
Method |
Index |
Contents |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Test of increasing difficulty by J. Raven [22, pp. 74–89] |
Basic intelligence |
Level of basic intelligence |
Intellectual lability [2, pp. 120–123] |
Intellectual lability |
Switching speed and flexibility of thought processes |
Thinking [1] |
S |
Synthetical |
I |
Idealistic |
|
P |
Pragmatic |
|
А |
Analytical |
|
R |
Realistic |
|
Landolt Ring [13, pp.141–142] |
VA |
Attention volume |
CA |
Concentration of attention |
|
SA |
Selective Attention |
|
AS |
Attention span |
|
Number square [7, p. 217] |
VA |
Volume of attention |
AD |
Attention distribution |
|
Munsterberg test [7, p. 216] |
VA |
Volume of attention |
SA |
Selective Attention |
|
Random access memory [7, p. 212] |
RAM |
Storing, saving and reproducing information in the process of performing certain actions |
10 words memorization [2, pp. 92–94] |
STM 1 |
Short-term memory -1 repetition |
STM 2 |
Short-term memory - 2 repetition |
|
STM 3 |
Short-term memory - 3 repetition |
|
STM4 |
Short-term memory - 4 repetition |
|
LTM |
Long-term memory |
|
Assessment of communicative and organizational skills [26, p. 581–583] |
CS |
Communicative skills |
ОS |
Organizational skills |
|
Assessment of subjective control [21, p. 186–188] |
SC |
Subjective control |
Forecast [8, p. 124–125] |
NpR |
Neuropsychic resistance |
Personal and reactive anxiety by C. Spielberger & Y. Khanin [26, p. 59– 63] |
PA |
Personal anxiety |
Indicative profile [21, p. 171–175] |
SO |
Self-oriented |
GO |
Goal-oriented |
|
CO |
Collaboration-oriented |
|
Leadership Self Assessment [18, p. 245–246 ] |
LP |
Leadership potential |
Schwarzlander Motor Test [29, p. 12–14] |
LC |
Level of claims |
16-PFpersonality Cattell Questionnaire (Form A) [26, p. 192–239] |
F.А |
Schizotymia-affectotymia |
FВ |
abstract thinking - high learning ability |
|
FС |
Emotional immaturity-emotional maturity |
|
FЕ |
Conformity-dominance |
|
FF |
Impulsiveness-restraint |
|
FG |
Moral control of behaviour |
|
FН |
Timidity-determination |
|
FI |
Hardness-softness |
|
FL |
Gullibility-suspicion |
|
FМ |
Practicality-dreaming |
|
FN |
Naivety-shrewdness |
|
FО |
Current level of anxiety |
|
FQ1 |
Conservatism-radicalism |
|
FQ2 |
Dependency-independence |
|
FQ3 |
Strong-willed self-control of behaviour |
|
FQ4 |
Frustration anxiety |
|
Method of multilateral personality research by F.B. Berezin (MPR) [3] |
L |
Social Desirability Scale |
F |
Confidence scale |
|
К |
Correction scale |
|
1 |
Anxiety somatization scale |
|
2 |
Scale of anxiety and depressive tendencies |
|
3 |
Anxiety Displacement Scale |
|
4 |
Impulsiveness scale |
|
5 |
Male and female character traits |
|
6 |
Affect rigidity scale |
|
7 |
Anxiety and Restrictive Behaviour Scale |
|
8 |
Autization scale |
|
9 |
Scale of negation of anxiety and hypomania |
|
0 |
Scale of social contacts / social activity (extraversion) |
Table 3. Differences in indicators between effective and ineffective SISSV experts EMERCOM of Russia
Index |
Mean |
Mann- Whitney U test |
Statistical significance (р) |
|
Effective (N = 57) |
Ineffective (N = 70) |
|||
Basic Intelligence |
93.0 |
81.0 |
1578.0 |
0.014 |
Intellectual lability |
9.9 |
12.7 |
1429.0 |
0.002 |
CA |
77.0 |
65.6 |
1640.0 |
0.042 |
VA Number Square |
32.5 |
29.2 |
1356.5 |
0.000 |
DA Number Square |
10.3 |
8.8 |
1315.5 |
0.000 |
VA Munsterberg test |
394.5 |
354.1 |
1597.0 |
0.017 |
SA Munsterberg test |
18.7 |
15.9 |
1318.5 |
0.000 |
STM 1 |
7.4 |
6.7 |
1562.0 |
0.009 |
STM |
9.3 |
8.7 |
1449.0 |
0.001 |
LTM |
9.1 |
8.2 |
1497.5 |
0.003 |
FВ abstract thinking - high learning ability |
6.0 |
5.0 |
1606.5 |
0.019 |
SC Level of subjective control |
30.4 |
28.0 |
1471.0 |
0.003 |
Мf |
44.0 |
39.0 |
1235.5 |
0.045 |
Si |
43.0 |
50.0 |
1209.5 |
0.031 |
Table 4. Verified significant differences between clusters in the indicators
Index |
Mean |
Significance level |
Index |
Mean |
Significance level |
||
1 Cluster |
3 Cluster |
1 Cluster |
3 Cluster |
||||
Basic Intelligence |
82.9 |
94.8 |
0.005 |
STM3 |
8.8 |
9.3 |
0.002 |
Intellectual lability (mistakes) |
12.4 |
9.3 |
0.000 |
STM4 |
8.9 |
9.4 |
0.005 |
Intelligence |
54.8 |
56.3 |
0.042 |
LTM |
8.3 |
9.1 |
0.002 |
CA Landolt Ring |
68.6 |
77.1 |
0.044 |
SC Level of subjective control |
28.5 |
31.0 |
0.004 |
SA Landolt Ring |
84.6 |
88.8 |
0.041 |
LP Leadership potential |
6.7 |
7.3 |
0.014 |
VA Number Square |
29.7 |
33.0 |
0.004 |
ОS |
14.6 |
15.3 |
0.050 |
DA Number Square |
8.8 |
10.2 |
0.001 |
NpR |
12.8 |
11.3 |
0.047 |
VA Munsterberg test |
352.8 |
385.0 |
0.049 |
PA Personal Anxiety |
38.0 |
36.5 |
0.048 |
SA Munsterberg test |
16.3 |
18.5 |
0.001 |
F А |
9.9 |
11.0 |
0.017 |
RAM Random access memory |
29.5 |
31.9 |
0.048 |
F В |
6.6 |
7.8 |
0.003 |
STM1 |
6.8 |
7.5 |
0.006 |
Mf |
18.7 |
20.3 |
0.044 |
STM 2 |
8.4 |
8.8 |
0.037 |
Si |
23.9 |
21.3 |
0.013 |
Table 5. Number and contents of the obtained factors
Factor |
Factor content and factor load |
1 Factor “Storage and reproduction of information” (27.7% variance) |
1. Short-term memory -1 repetition (0.64); 2. Short-term memory - 2 repetition (0.76); 3. Short-term memory -3 repetition (0.79); 4. Short-term memory - 4 repetition (0.73); 5. Long-term memory (0.73). |
2 Factor "Focused attention" (12.5% variance) |
1. Concentration of attention (0.97); 2. Selective Attention - Landolt Ring (0.97). |
3 Factor “Volume and focus of attention” (11.8% variance) |
1. Volume of attention - Munsterberg test (0.92); 2. Selective Attention - Munsterberg test (0.88). |
4 Factor “Operational thinking and information processing” (8.3% of the variance) |
1. Basic intelligence (0.71); 2. Intellectual lability (-0.78); 3. Random access memory (0.67). |
5 Factor “Coverage and retention of objects” (7.6% variance) |
1. Volume of attention - Number Square (0.81); 2. Attention distribution - Number Square (0.75). |
6 Factor “Regulation of actions and behavior” (31.1% of the variance) |
1. Level of Subjective control (-0.50); 2. Neuropsychic resistance (0.82); 3. Personal anxiety(0.83). |
7 Factor “Implementation of management decisions” (14.8% variance) |
1. Leadership self-assessment (0.75); 2. Organizational skills (0.72); 3. Emotional Extraversion / Introversion (0.70). |
8 Factor – “Problem solving and behavior change” (10.9% variance) |
1. Abstract and operational thinking (0.59); 2. Conformity, empathy (0.63). |
Fig. 1. Correlation analysis of the impact of the studied indicators on the expert assessment (Cf )
Tarasova A.А., Shoigu Yu.S. (2020). Significant job skills of the Russian EMERCOM SISSV experts. National Psychological Journal, [Natsional’nyy psikhologicheskiy zhurnal], (13)1, 94–106.