The science of our assessments
Grounded in independently validated psychometric science, Thomas assessments provide insight into a person’s behaviour, personality, aptitude and emotional intelligence, informing fair and inclusive people decisions and agile workforce planning.
The science of the Behaviour assessment
Created in 1958 by Dr. Thomas Hendrickson, our behavioural assessment is based on William Moulton Marston’s ’DISC’ theory. Validated over more than 40 years in the workplace, the assessment provides greater certainty in recruitment, development and management by revealing a person’s behavioural style and preferences.
The Thomas Behaviour assessment, also known as the Personal Profile Analysis (PPA), is a 24-item, self-report, multi-scale instrument, designed for the assessment of work-related behavioural preferences. The instrument is based on the most widely accepted model of human behaviour, developed by Marston (Marston, 1928, 1931), who theorised that human behaviour is determined by whether we perceive our environment to be antagonistic or favourable, and whether we choose to adopt an active or passive response to it. These two fundamental dimensions provide a matrix of four characteristics that describe an individual’s typical pattern of interaction. These are: 1. Dominance; 2. Influence; 3. Steadiness; 4. Compliance.
The science of the Aptitude assessment
Developed by leading psychologist Dr. Peter Dann during his tenure at the University of Plymouth, Thomas’ aptitude assessment is based on those used for recruitment by the British Ministry of Defence. Our assessment was further optimised to measure general intelligence, learning speed and trainability in the workplace.
The Thomas Aptitude assessment, or General Intelligence Assessment (GIA) as it is also known, is a cognitive ability assessment that can help to predict how quickly an individual can learn new information. Research by the American Psychology Association (Frank L. Schmidt & Jon E. Hunter, 1998) reviewed 85 years of research and found that higher cognitive ability, or aptitude, is measured by the GIA, is directly linked to higher productivity and professional performance. The assessment places an objective filter on an individual’s cognitive ability, regardless of their qualifications and past experience, helping to equalise societal biases in people decisions. The GIA measures an individual’s aptitude in five key areas: Reasoning, Perceptual Speed, Number Speed and Accuracy, Word Meaning, and Spatial Visualisation.
The science of the Personality assessment
Created in partnership by renowned work psychologist Ian MacRae and Prof. Adrian Furnham, fellow of the British Psychological Society fellow and adjunct professor at BI Norwegian Business School. Thomas’ personality assessment measures 6 core traits that correlate with success at work, identifies where strengths may become derailers and highlights focus areas for personal development plans.
The Personality assessment, or High Potential Trait Indicator (HPTI), is based on a trait model of personality, in which an individual’s personality is described as a location on a continuum of stable factors. Different locations on a particular trait continuum describe the absence or presence of thoughts and behaviours that make up each trait. Certain trait levels can be indicative of a high potential to succeed, while others have the potential to derail an otherwise successful person. Informed by contemporary personality psychology such as the ‘Big Five’ model, extensive research was conducted to identify specific traits that were most predictive of performance in the workplace. The personality traits measured by the HPTI are: Conscientiousness, Adjustment, Curiosity, Risk Approach, Ambiguity Acceptance and Competitiveness.
The science of the Emotional Intelligence assessment
Thomas’ Emotional Intelligence assessment was developed by Professor K.V. Petrides of University College London. Prof. Petrides developed both the theory and model of Trait Emotional Intelligence (EI), which focus on a constellation of emotional self-perceptions located at the lower levels of personality hierarchies. Thomas has optimised this model for use in the workplace to aid recruitment, interpersonal dynamics and professional development, driving enhanced self-awareness and business outcomes.
Thomas’ Emotional Intelligence assessment, or TEIQue is a self-report questionnaire used to measure trait emotional intelligence. This is distinguished from Emotional Intelligence ability, which is measured using IQ-style maximum performance tests such as the MSCEIT. This latter type of assessment can be problematic because the subjectivity of emotional experience is inconsistent with a maximum-performance test. This is due to the inability to create items that can be scored according to objective criteria, which comprehensively cover the domain of emotional intelligence.
