The influence of cognitive ability on interviewee performance in traditional versus relaxed behavior description interview formats

Using an experimental condition that relaxed cognitive constraints in a behavior description interview (BDI), our results uncovered a pattern of low cognitive saturation in the traditional BDI format but significantly higher in the relaxed condition. Well over half of the time interviewees reported different experiences in the relaxed condition, and those experiences were rated higher by the interviewers and correlated more strongly with job performance. A potential implication is that inhibitive cognitive demands in traditionally administered BDIs result in a number of interviewees reporting relevant experiences that come to mind easily rather than ones that maximally portray their capabilities, thereby shifting BDIs more towards assessment of typical behavior. With reduced cognitive constraints, interviewees had greater opportunity to locate more maximally oriented experiences, with higher ability individuals benefitting the most.