The Effectiveness of a Rater Training Booklet in Increasing Accuracy of Performance Ratings

This research note examines the possibility of increasing the accuracy of performance ratings through the use of an instruction booklet to train raters. The booklet focussed on the cognitive processes of raters which can lead to faulty conclusions, bias, and misperceptions, with the goal of increasing the objectivity and fairness of observations and ratings. The research utilized a between-groups post test only design. Consensus of opinion among subject matter experts provided the true score against which the subjects ratings were compared for accuracy. The dependent measure was the absolute deviation score of each individuals rating from the true score . The results indicated no significant group differences in accuracy. This finding is discussed, and suggestions for further research are given. Keywords Rater training Rater Accuracy Rater error Subjective measurement Performance appraisal Performance measurement Rating scale Ratings.