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Peer Review

NFL Player Assessment Test

Reviewed:
Mar 13, 2020 by Psychology
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Ratings

Overall Rating: 4.8 stars
Content Quality: 4.5 stars
Effectiveness: 4.5 stars
Ease of Use: 5.0 stars
Overview:

In a 30-minute presentation at the 2017 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, Dr. Ken Yusko describes a compelling psychology assessment initiative -- the NFL Player Assessment Test (NFL-PAT). Students will appreciate the opportunity to explore and discuss a validation study that addresses a uniquely interesting context. 

Type of Material:

Presentation

Recommended Uses:

The video is relatively long (30-minutes), so it may be a bit too extensive for in-class viewing. However, the video is engaging and focuses on an interesting topic, so it will likely engage students for independent viewing. An effective use would be to assign students to view the video as an out-of-class assignment and then work alone, collaboratively, or collectively to discuss/analyze. 

 

Technical Requirements:

Users will need to have capabilities to play a YouTube video; speakers also are necessary. No additional plug-ins are required, and the video plays without issues across browsers.  

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The video is recorded from a conference presentation (not originally designed as an online video presentation). The video overviews research focusing on the development of the NFL-PAT. The presentation has relevance for:

  • sports psychology
  • I/O psychology
  • psychometrics
  • research methods
  • test development (validity, reliability, etc)
  • statistics
  • data analytics (predictive modeling)
  • personality
  • intelligence
Target Student Population:

College Upper Division, Graduate School

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

It would be beneficial for students to have at least some background in test development, correlation, regression, and predictive modeling.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:

 

  • The topic of predicting NFL success is quite engaging. The video provides a good overview of the research process and the steps involved in test development. It does a good job of showing the real-life applicability of psychological research. 
  • The video provides an interesting explanation of the use of psychological factors (intelligence, personality, motivation) to predict NFL player performance rather than focusing solely on past performance. Predictions include the immediate future as well as several years into playing. 
Concerns:

 

  • The video is not designed as a teaching tool. As such, the presenter does not "teach" about the relevant research methods or statistics, but rather discusses the real process of designing this assessment tool. Students will likely need expert guidance to help make sense of the statistics and research methods that are discussed in the video. 

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:

 

  • The video goes into detail about the research process... provides statistics, processes, rationale, and methodological concerns. The presenter provides very detailed information that allows the viewer to understand why the authors did what they did in relation to test development. The video goes into sufficient detail to allow instructors to lead students through a critical analysis of the application of psychological theory, statistics, and research methods. Information is accurate, clear, and relevant. 
  • The presentation will help students understand the use of psychological tests in predicting performance in the NFL. Additionally, these types of tests are used in many organizations; thus, the presentation is especially useful for those studying industrial/organizational psychology.
  • The presentation clearly explains the utility of a quick, one-hour test that provides useful information for the long term employment of players.
Concerns:

 

  • The video will need to be supported with instructor or assignment guidance. The presentation is aimed at other professionals in the field, so instructors who use the video in class will want to provide background information on research methods, statistics, or theory. 
  • Additional details about the authors' research also would be helpful for in-class use.  Instructors may wish to ask students to read a copy of a publication on the same topic.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:

 

  • The video is easily viewed on a familiar video platform (YouTube). The viewing experience involves one-click play with no advertisements or interruptions. Video and audio quality are clear. Graphics shown in the video are clear, readable, and explained.  
Concerns:

None.

Other Issues and Comments:
  • Very engaging and interesting research study. This would be a good case for students to explore concepts/methods/processes in real-life. In addition, most students would not think of the use of psychological constructs (intelligence and personality) in terms of predicting success as a professional football player. The content is novel, thorough, accurate, and engaging. 
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