Application of multi-media technology to computer administered vocational personnel assessment

• US 20020106617A1
• Filed: 03/18/2002
• Published: 08/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael Hersh
• Original Assignee: Techmicro Incorporated
• Inventors: Hersh, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,207,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/236
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/16 Devices for psychotechnics using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00; Testing reaction times ; Devices for evaluating the psychological state
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4035 Evaluating the autonomic nervous system
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/065 Combinations of audio and video presentations, e.g. videotapes, videodiscs, television systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student

Abstract

A multi-media method and system performs psychological assessment of an individual for suitability for particular jobs, whereby the individual is shown and provided with discrete visual and auditory stimuli on a multi-media computer screen, so that the individual'"'"'s responses can be monitored in conjunction with physiological responses received by biofeedback sensors. The computer tallies the test subject'"'"'s recorded responses. Virtual work environments are optionally displayed, to enable the tested individual to simulate a real work environment. Unlike other job evaluation systems, the system evaluates a job candidate'"'"'s ability to maintain task focus under pressure. It directly measures performance under pressure, rather than only inferring potential performance based upon selective input from a job candidate.

Claims

1. A vocational assessment system comprising:

a computer administered modular multi-media normed personnel evaluation system,

said system performing psychological assessment of an individual subject for suitability for particular jobs, whereby said individual is subject shown and provided with at least one of discrete visual and auditory stimuli on a multi-media computer screen;

wherein further said individual subject'"'"'s responses are monitored in conjunction with physiological responses received by biofeedback sensors;

said system further having a tally tallying said individual subjects recorded responses;

said system evaluating said individual subject'"'"'s ability to maintain task focus during vocational performance under pressure;

said system directly measuring said individual'"'"'s subject'"'"'s performance under pressure; and

said system further having a filter selectively rejecting selective veracity input from said individual subject.

2. The system of claim 1 where said system includes a performance database evolving over time to reflect changes in the population subjected to the various test modules, said evolved database establishing norms updated more representative of a current population of subjects having been tested by said system.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one software includes an interface utilizing at least one input hardware device including at least one of a mouse, a keyboard, a touch pad, a microphone, a camera, physiological sensors and any other computer input device.

4. The system of claim 1 whereby software is delivered to a test administrator as portable media such as CD-ROM, diskette, solid state storage, non-volatile RAM, flash media, DVD or other computer compatible input media.

5. The system of claim 1 whereby software is downloaded from the Internet.

6. The system as in claim 1 wherein access is obtained through the Internet.

7. The system as in claim 1 wherein tests are administered through the Internet.

8. The system as in claim 1 wherein administrative functions are performed through the Internet.

9. The system as in claims 5, 6, 7, or 8 further comprising secured communication.

10. The system as in claim 9 wherein said secured communication is implemented with at least one security technologies comprising at least one of an internet protocol security;

a secure socket layer;

a private key encryption;

a public key encryption, a VPN and a form of secure tunneling.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computer administered pre-employment screening test containing job performance modules and aptitude subtest modules.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein a menu derived from database statistics for a particular job title is presented to a test administrator reflecting the suitability of said test modules, wherein suggested weight is applied to each said module, and predetermined pass/fail limits of each said module is based on updated database statistics reflecting past subject test results.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the test administrator can modify said module selection, said pass/fail limits, and said weights assigned to each said module for a particular job title and for a particular individual subject being tested.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein said job performance modules include at least one indicia displaying questions about at least one job attribute of the group consisting of Integrity, Aptitude, Addiction, Loyalty, Stress Tolerance, Memory, Social Awareness, Communications Skills, Performance Efficiency, Distractibility, and Impulsivity and at least one aptitude sub-test including at least one indicia displaying questions selected from the group consisting of Visual Closure, Visual analogies, Categorization, Information Personality, Interests and Values.

15. The system as in claim 1 further comprising a computer performance database that compares a subject'"'"'s performance on a visual matching task under two conditions of non-stress and stress, said database using sensory indicia selected to minimize ethnic bias and cultural differences, said database providing an examination of performance scores for correct matches, errors of commission, and errors of omission, said database providing a rapid and precise indication as to the degree to which said subject is effected by said stress.

16. The test system of claim 15 wherein said stress conditions comprise at least one of task of providing audio output telling a user to hurry, providing audio output chiding the user when mistakes are made, and providing test segments in increasing short time limits.

17. The test system of claim 16 further comprising at least one biofeedback physiological sensor measuring and quantifying changes in the autonomic nervous system of the tested subject, said sensor thereby detecting the onset of said changes of said autonomic nervous system and the degree of said changes during said stress test.

18. The test system of claim 17 wherein said physiological sensors are attached on the subject being tested, said sensors measuring at least one condition of heart rate, electrocardiogram responses, skin temperature, skin conductance, galvanic skin responses, muscle tension, facial expression, thoracic respiration rate, abdominal respiration rate, saliva composition, eye pupil dilation and blood pressure.

19. The test system of claim 18 further comprising at least one biometric sensor recording data of at least one of subject recovery time data, pupil dilation data, and digital recordings of facial expressions, said recorded data forming a test platform, facilitating study of the subject'"'"'s reaction to psychologically induced stress when the subject'"'"'s reaction is induced by physical means.

20. The system as in claim 15 further comprising a visual closure test module whereby a picture is revealed progressively as it steadily replaces a background of randomly placed light and dark rectangular blocks.

21. The system as in claim 15 further comprising an integrity test module wherein sets of related questions are dispersed throughout said test module and analyzed as to answer time latency variability to detect deceptive answers.

22. The system as in claim 15 further comprising at least one multi-media memory test module comprising tests testing at least one of visual memory, auditory memory, visual memory with visual distraction, visual memory with auditory distraction, auditory memory with visual distraction and auditory memory with auditory distraction, said multi-media memory test module comparing subject performance on memory modules with distracting displays impeding test performance, said memory modules measuring a degree of distractibility and identity of a specific modality of distracter display presentation found most disturbing to the person being tested.

23. The system as in claim 15 further comprising a multi-media visual analogies test comprising a combination of audio instruction and visual presentations of related geometric shapes.

24. The system as in claim 15 further comprising a social apperception test module comprising a plurality of pictures of people in at least one of a variety of postures and facial expressions along with a spoken statement, together with an optional display wherein the subject is to choose the picture of a person most likely to have just made said spoken statement.

25. A computer-generated vocational assessment system comprising at least one virtual reality image simulating at least one vocational work environment to ascertain the best placement of a potential worker subject, said at least one virtual reality image simulating said at least one vocational work environment to provide data to selectively reject a person not suited for said at least one work environment being simulated, wherein selected skill sets including at least one of personality characteristics, values, interests, social awareness, distractibility and integrity are measured by analyzing responses of said potential worker subject to said at least one virtual reality image.

26. A personnel evaluation system comprising:

at least one multimedia computer for sending and receiving audio and visual stimulus;

at least one central processing unit to administer an application and perform analysis of input data;

at least one software application to store and evaluate all input data;

at least one module to monitor and re-scale non-truthful;

at least one interface constantly monitors a physiological state of a subject;

at least one interface induces stress inducing audio and visual stimulus; and

at least one interface administers race, gender, ethnic, and cultural neutral stimulus.

27. A personnel evaluation system comprising:

at least one multimedia computer for sending and receiving audio and visual stimulus;

at least one central processing unit to administer an application and perform analysis of input data;

at least one software application to store and evaluate all input data;

at least one module to monitor and re-scale non-truthful;

at least one interface constantly monitors a physiological state of a subject;

at least one interface induces stress inducing audio and visual stimulus; and

at least one interface interacts with the subject in their native language, and dialect.

28. A personnel evaluation system comprising:

at least one multimedia computer for sending and receiving audio and visual stimulus;

at least one central processing unit to administer an application and perform analysis of input data;

at least one software application to store and evaluate all input data

at least one module to monitor and re-scale non-truthful responses;

at least one interface which simulates specific work environment;

at least one interface induces stress inducing audio and visual stimulus;

at least one interface administers race, gender, ethnic, and cultural neutral stimulus;

at least one interface interacts with the subject in their native language, and dialect; and

at least one interface constantly monitors a physiological state of a subject.

29. A personnel evaluation system comprising:

at least one multimedia computer for sending and receiving audio and visual stimulus;

at least one central processing unit to administer an application and perform analysis of input data;

at least one software application to store and evaluate all input data;

at least one module to monitor and re-scale non-truthful responses;

at least one interface which simulates specific work environment;

at least one interface induces stress inducing audio and visual stimulus;

at least one interface administers race, gender, ethnic, and cultural neutral stimulus;

at least one interface interacts with the subject in their native language, and dialect;

at least one interface constantly monitors a physiological state of a subject; and

at least module for assessing the intelligence, interest, values, emotional status, mental health, neurological impairment, education, social apperception and aptitude of the subject.

30. A method of evaluating personnel in a pre-employment screening, job promotion, retention, pre-training evaluations, post training evaluations, and an ability to function under stress comprising:

inducing increased stress levels in a subject;

evaluating the interest, values, emotional status, mental health, aptitude, neurological impairment, education, distractibility, communication skills, efficiency of a subjects

interacting with a subject through the use of non-bias stimulus;

interacting with the subject through their native language;

detecting for untruthful responses;

re-scaling values of questions depending on type of test; and

detecting physiological changes in the subject.