Isoperformance Curves in Applied Psychology

Abstract

Isoperformance is a technique for reading information out of a data-analytic model, comparable to expected mean square or omega squared analyses. It results in a trade-off function (an isoperformance curve) among the determinants of performance. The technique was developed primarily to generate trade-off functions between personnel aptitude and time in training or on the job. However, the technique is general and can be applied in any trade-off situation. In part, the purpose of this paper is to recall the antecedents of isoperformance in psychophysics and to recount the origins and development of the isoperformance readout. Its main purpose, however, is to present several examples of isoperformance curves in applied psychology and to make the case for their usefulness.

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