Grunenberg et al., 2025: Predicting and Explaining Assessment Center Judgments
This study used machine learning to analyze how observable behavior influences judgments in assessment center (AC) role-play exercises. By training models on 36 behavioral cues from medical school applicant assessments, the researchers showed that these cues could reliably predict assessors’ ratings — outperforming models based on bias. They also found patterns across exercises, suggesting that certain interpersonal behaviors consistently influence how candidates are evaluated.
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Grunenberg, E., Stachl, C., Breil, S. M., Schäpers, P., & Back, M. D. (2025). Predicting and explaining assessment center judgments: A cross-validated behavioral approach to performance judgments in interpersonal assessment center exercises. Human Resource Management, 64(2), 423–445. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22252Breil et al., 2024: Physicians' Social Skills – Conceptualization, Taxonomy, and Behavioral Assessment
This study tackles the confusion around what “social skills” actually mean in medical education and how to assess them. The authors propose a behavior-based taxonomy that organizes key interpersonal skills into three dimensions: agency skill (getting ahead), communion skill (getting along), and interpersonal resilience (staying calm). This structure helps unify overlapping terms and supports better assessment and development of social skills in future physicians.
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Breil, S. M., Amelung, D., Oberst, S., Rollinger, T., Ahrens, H., Garbe, A., Kadmon, M., Marschall, B., Back, M. D., & Peters, H. (2024). Physicians' social skills – conceptualization, taxonomy, and behavioral assessment. Perspectives on Medical Education, 13(1), 635–645. https://doi.org/10.5334/pme.1171Härtel et al., 2024: Relationships Between Resumé Cues and Applicants’ Personality
This study investigated whether personality traits can be accurately inferred from resumés, focusing on business students applying for a fictional job. Using 70 behavioral cues (e.g., creative hobbies, layout quality), the researchers found that traits like conscientiousness, openness, and narcissism were somewhat predictable — but only a small number of cues actually showed reliable links to personality. The findings suggest that while resumés do reveal a few personality signals, their overall potential for accurate inference is limited.
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Härtel, T. M., Breil, S. M., Grunenberg, E., & Back, M. D. (2024). Relationships between resumé cues and applicants’ personality. Applied Psychology. 73(4), 1728–1771. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12522Ingold et al., 2024: Any Slice Is Predictive? Impressions at Different Moments in Assessment Centers
This study explored how brief impressions from different moments in assessment center exercises relate to performance evaluations. Involving 223 participants across three exercises, untrained observers rated assessees based on short video segments from the beginning, middle, and end of each task. The results showed that these impressions were consistent and predicted both assessment center ratings and real-world job performance.
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Ingold, P. V., Heimann, A. L., & Breil, S. M. (2024). Any slice is predictive? On the consistency of impressions from the beginning, middle, and end of assessment center exercises and their relation to performance. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 17(2), 192–205. https://doi.org/10.1017/iop.2024.2Knorr et al., 2024 Measuring Personal Characteristics in Applicants to German Medical Schools
This pilot study evaluated the Canadian-developed “Casper” SJT, featuring open-ended responses, in a German medical school admissions context. Among 582 participants, the test was positively rated and performed reliably across two years, though agreement between different raters was only moderate. Casper scores showed small but meaningful correlations with other selection tools, suggesting potential for use in admissions with further refinement of rater training and scenario adaptation.
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Knorr, M., Mielke, I., Amelung, D., Safari, M., Gröne, O. R., Breil, S. M., & MacIntosh, A. (2024). Measuring personal characteristics in applicants to German medical schools: Piloting an online Situational Judgement Test with an open-ended response format. GMS Journal for Medical Education, 41(3), Article Doc30. https://doi.org/10.3205/zma001685Mielke et al., 2024: Predicting OSCE Performance Using Different Types of Situational Judgement Tests
This study compared two types of Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs) used in medical school admissions: a traditional SJT and a construct-driven version developed specifically to assess social skills. Among medical students, those who gave more communal responses on the construct-based SJT performed better in OSCE stations involving interactions with standardized patients. The results suggest that construct-driven SJTs can meaningfully predict clinical performance and add value beyond traditional metrics like GPA and science test scores.
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Mielke, I., Breil, S.M., Hissbach, J., Ehrhardt, M., & Knorr, M. (2024). Predicting undergraduate OSCE performance using traditional and construct-driven situational judgment tests at admission. Advances in Health Sciences Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-024-10379-3Breil et al., 2023: Interpersonal Behavior in Assessment Center Role-Play Exercises
This study examined the actual behaviors shown by candidates during high-stakes assessment center (AC) role-plays — a largely overlooked aspect in AC research. Using expert-coded video data from 203 participants, the researchers identified four broad behavioral patterns: agency, communion, interpersonal calmness, and intellectual competence. These behaviors were more consistent across exercises than assessor ratings and helped predict both performance in the role-plays and future interpersonal effectiveness.
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Breil, S. M., Lievens, F., Forthmann, B., & Back, M. D. (2023). Interpersonal behavior in assessment center role-play exercises: Investigating structure, consistency, and effectiveness. Personnel Psychology, 76(3),759–795. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12507Breil, Forthmann et al., 2022: Measuring Distinct Social Skills via Multiple Speed Assessments
This study introduces a behavior-focused approach to personnel selection that measures distinct social skills like persuasion, compassion, and emotional control. Instead of using broad simulations, the authors designed short, focused exercises—each targeting one specific skill—to improve how well assessors can observe and rate actual behavior. Results from three high-stakes samples showed that this method reliably captured individual differences in social skills, supporting a more precise and valid assessment process.
Full Reference:
Breil, S. M., Forthmann, B., Back, M. D. (2022). Measuring distinct social skills via multiple speed assessments – a behavior-focused personnel selection approach. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 38(3), 224–236. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000657Breil, Mielke et al., 2022: Predicting Actual Social Skill Expression from Personality and Skill Self-Concepts
This study explored how well personality traits and self-rated skill beliefs predict real-life expressions of social skills. Using behavioral simulations, the researchers assessed three core skills: agency (getting ahead), communion (getting along), and interpersonal resilience (staying calm). While self-concepts and personality measures predicted how participants rated their own behavior, only the agency skill aligned with how they were perceived by observers — suggesting that people’s self-views may not always match how they act in social situations.
Full Reference:
Breil, S. M., Mielke, I., Ahrens, H., Geldmacher, T., Sensmeier, J., Marschall, B., & Back, M. D. (2022). Predicting actual social skill expression from personality and skill self-concepts. Journal of Intelligence, 10(3), Article 48. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10030048Breil, Schweppe et al., 2022: The Incremental Validity of Average States: A Replication and Extension
This study replicated and extended earlier work on whether averaging people’s momentary states (thoughts, feelings, behaviors) offers a better basis for informant-reports of personality than traditional self-reports. Across five experience-sampling studies, average self-reported states did not predict how others rated a person’s personality beyond what global self-reports already provided. However, when peers tracked and reported these states over time, those peer-based averages improved the prediction — suggesting that the source of information matters more than the method alone.
Full Reference:
Breil, S. M., Schweppe, P. C., Geukes, K., Biesanz, J. C., Quintus, M., Wagner, J., Wrzus, C., Nestler, S., & Back, M. D. (2022). The incremental validity of average states: A replication and extension of Finnigan and Vazire (2018). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 123(3), e23–e37. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000408Mielke et al., 2022: Assessing Distinguishable Social Skills in Medical Admission
This study tested whether a construct-driven Situational Judgment Test (SJT) could more clearly assess two key social skills: agency (getting ahead) and communion (getting along). Medical school applicants completed both traditional and construct-driven SJTs, and results showed that the new test had a clear structure and was more closely linked to self-reported social traits and past behavior. While early signs of validity are promising, the authors note that further research is needed before using such tests widely in high-stakes admissions.
Full Reference:
Mielke, I., Breil, S. M., Amelung, D., Espe, L., & Knorr, M. (2022). Assessing distinguishable social skills in medical admission - Does construct-driven development solve validity issues of situational judgment tests? BMC Medical Education, 22(1), Article 293. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03305-xBreil et al., 2020: Construct Validity of Multiple Mini Interviews in Medical Selection
This study examined whether multiple mini-interviews (MMIs), commonly used in medical school admissions, actually measure specific social skills like empathy. Analyzing data from 376 applicants and 144 raters using Bayesian generalizability theory, the researchers found that most of the reliable variance in MMI scores was due to general and station-specific performance, not distinct social skill expression. The findings call for the design of more skill-focused MMI stations and deeper analysis of what these MMIs really capture.
Full Reference:
Breil, S. M., Forthmann, B., Hertel-Waszak, A., Ahrens, H., Brouwer, B., Schönefeld, E., Marschall, B., Back, M. D. (2020). Construct validity of multiple mini interviews – Investigating the role of stations, skills, and raters using Bayesian G-theory. Medical Teacher, 42(2),164–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2019.1670337
