Self Description Inventory Plus Initiative: Assault On Occam's Razor

Abstract : Purpose of the paper is to outline military testing and selection and focus on the need to develop secondary measures, like the Self Description Inventory (SDI+), in order to increase efficiency of person-job match and develop realistic profiles of applicants and military positions beyond the typical job-performance measures. Covers the history of military selection using measures like the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT), along with the history of the SDI stemming from the Learning Abilities Measurement Project (LAMP). Paper discusses various problems of traditional military selection procedures based on changing population of applicants, and the idea that Occam's Razor may not be the solution to future Air Force personnel selection and classification issues. Suggested solution of this paper is the development of personality measures to capture and form a profile of applicants before classification and assignment are done to ensure better assignment, satisfaction, and retention.