View article

The correlation between cognitive ability test scores and performance was separately meta-analyzed for Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White racial/ethnic subgroups. Compared to the average White observed correlation (Special Character=. 33, N= 903,779), average correlations were lower for Black samples (Special Character=. 24, N= 112,194) and Hispanic samples (Special Character=. 30, N= 51,205) and approximately equal for Asian samples (Special Character=. 33, N= 80,705). Despite some moderating effects (eg, type of performance criterion, decade of data collection, job complexity), validity favored White over Black and Hispanic test takers in almost all conditions that included a sizable number of studies. Black–White validity comparisons were possible both across and within the 3 broad domains that use cognitive ability tests for high-stakes selection and placement: civilian employment, educational …