The goal of the CPI 260® assessment, which is
derived from the full 434-item California Psychological Inventory™ (CPI™) instrument, is to give a true-to-life description of the respondent in clear,
everyday language (Gough & Bradley, 2005).
The scales of the CPI 260 instrument were developed empirically – that is, scale items were selected on the basis of associations with external or non-test
specifications of the attribute to be assessed. This method emphasizes validity over reliability and was used to design scales capable of predicting important
criteria such as managerial performance and an employee’s dependability.
As discussed in the manuals for the 434-item inventory (Gough & Bradley, 2002; Gough & Cook, 1996), abundant empirical theoretical source material exists for
the CPI instrument, which enjoys more than 55 years of usage, translations and study in more than 40 languages, and a bibliography of approximately 2,000 titles.
The CPI™ Manual reports internal consistency (alpha) coefficients for the CPI assessment scales based on a random sample of 3,000 males and 3,000
females ranging from .36 to .86 with a median of .75. Test-retest correlations for high school students over a one-year interval range from .51 to .73 with a
median of .66. Test-retest correlations for adults over a 10-year interval range from .49 to .85 with a median of .77.
The CPI 260® Manual is a technical product that offers a clear view into the construction and interpretation
of the CPI 260® instrument.
The research below further supports the reliability and validity of the CPI 260 tool, as well as best practices and
industry trends when applying the assessment results in different settings. You will also find information on ways to pair the instrument with other assessments
for maximum effectiveness.