Scientific Advorsory Committee

To ensure the highest quality of testing and optimum processes, especially in the development of new psychometric tests, the scientific advisory committee offers support and advice.

When we at SCHUHFRIED develop psychometric assessments, we emphasize scientific quality and innovation. That is why our work is guided by international standards and guidelines. But innovative psychometrics sometimes involve the use of methods for which no best practices have been established yet. Particularly in this context, dialogue with experts from the field of psychometrics is profoundly important to us.

For this reason, every half-year, we present our current projects and concepts to a scientific advisory committee of three renowned members active in the fields of psychological assessment, differential psychology and behavioral research using AI technologies.

Members of the advisory committee

Univ. Prof. Mag. Tuulia Ortner

Director of Department of Psychological Assessment

Paris Lodron University of Salzburg

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Tuulia Ortner is head of the department of psychological assessment at the University of Salzburg. She is a work psychologist and licensed in accordance with DIN 33430. She also acts as Diversity Officer of the psychology department. Her current research focuses on subjects such as personality assessment through behavioral measurement and on questions of fairness and objectivity in tests and other assessment procedures.

In her working group, Tuulia Ortner also examines gender-specific effects in the development and assessment of leadership qualities. She is active in applied sciences, overseeing the assessment procedures of various clients and evaluating and improving occupational and academic entrance tests. An important part of her work is dedicated to projects and quality initiatives that bring scientific innovations into the private sector and contribute to making assessment procedures more valid – and more fair – in future.

  • Breuer S, Scherndl T and Ortner TM (2020) Effects of Response Format on Psychometric Properties and Fairness of a Matrices Test: Multiple Choice vs. Free Response. Educ. 5:15. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2020.00015 (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2020.00015/full)
  • Gniewosz, G., Ortner, T. M., & Scherndl, T. (2020). Personality in Action: Assessing Personality to Identify an ‘Ideal’ Conscientious Response Type with Two Different Behavioural Tasks. European Journal of Personality, 34(5), 808-825. (https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2296)
  • Gruber, F.M., Schock, A., Scherndl, T., & Ortner, T.M. (2019). Tempering agency with communion increases women’s leadership emergence in all‑women groups: evidence for role congruity theory in a field setting. The Leadership quarterly, 30, 189-198. doi: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2018.08.003 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1048984317303417)

Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Jakob Pietschnig

Director of Department of Differential Psychology, Personality Psychology and Psychological Assessment

University of Vienna

Assistant Prof. Mag. Dr. Jakob Pietschnig heads the differential psychology and psychological assessment working area at the Institute of Developmental and Educational Psychology of the University of Vienna. Differential psychology examines systematic, behaviorally relevant variation in individuals’ and groups’ experiences and behaviors. Research questions engage with aspects of ability and personality all the way to biological bases.

His research interests include questions relating to intelligence research (especially the Flynn effect), correlates and biological underpinnings of cognitive ability, as well as the causes of effect distortion in empirical research.

  • Zeilinger, E. L., Brunevskaya, N., Wurzer, J., Oberleiter, S., Fries, J., Fuchs, A., Herscovici, A., Kum, L., Masel, E. K., & Pietschnig, J. (2024). Effectiveness of cloth face masks to prevent viral spread: A meta-analysis. Journal of Public Health, 46(1), E84-E90. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdad205 
  • Fries, J., Oberleiter, S., & Pietschnig, J. (2024). Say farewell to bland regression reporting: Three forest plot variations for visualizing linear models. PLoS ONE, 19(2), e0297033. [e0297033]. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297033
  • Oberleiter, S., Patzl, S., Fries, J., Diedrich, J., Voracek, M., & Pietschnig, J. (2024). Measurement-Invariant Fluid Anti-Flynn Effects in Population—Representative German Student Samples (2012–2022). Journal of Intelligence, 12(1), [9]. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence12010009
  • Andrzejewski, D., Zeilinger, E., & Pietschnig, J. (2024). Is there a Flynn effect for attention? Cross-temporal meta-analytical evidence for better test performance (1990-2021). Personality and Individual Differences, 216, [112417]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2023.112417
  • Pietschnig, J., Oberleiter, S., Toffalini, E., & Giofre, D. (2023). Reliability of the g factor over time in Italian INVALSI data (2010-2022): What can achievement-g tell us about the Flynn effect? Personality and Individual Differences, 214, [112345]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2023.112345
  • Petkari, E., Nikolaou, E., Oberleiter, S., Priebe, S., & Pietschnig, J. (2023). Which psychological interventions improve quality of life in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291723003070
  • Dürlinger, F., Fries, J., Yanagida, T., & Pietschnig, J. (2023). Religiosity does not prevent cognitive declines: Cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe. Intelligence: a multidisciplinary journal, 101, [101796]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2023.101796
  • Swami, V., Tran, U. S., Stieger, S., Aavik, T., Ranjbar, H. A., Adebayo, S. O., Afhami, R., Ahmed, O., Aimé, A., Akel, M., Halbusi, H. A., Alexias, G., Ali, K. F., Alp-Dal, N., Alsalhani, A. B., Álvares-Solas, S., Amaral, A. C. S., Andrianto, S., Aspden, T., … Voracek, M. (2023). Body appreciation around the world: Measurement invariance of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age. Body Image, 46, 449-466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.07.010
  • Stoevenbelt, A., Wicherts, J. M., Flore, P., Phillips, L., Pietschnig, J., Verschuere, B., Voracek, M., & Schwabe, I. (2023). Are Speeded Tests Unfair? Modeling the Impact of Time Limits on the Gender Gap in Mathematics. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 83(4), 684-709. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131644221111076
  • Oberleiter, S., Fries, J., Schock, L. S., Steininger, B., & Pietschnig, J. (2023). Predicting cross-national sex differences in large-scale assessments of students’ reading literacy, mathematics, and science achievement: Evidence from PIRLS and TIMSS. Intelligence: a multidisciplinary journal, 100, [101784]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2023.101784
  • Oberleiter, S., & Pietschnig, J. (2023). Unfounded authority, underpowered studies, and non‑transparent reporting perpetuate the Mozart effect myth: a multiverse meta‑ Scientific Reports (Nature Publisher Group), 13(1), [3175 ]. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30206-w
  • Zeilinger, E., Knefel, M., Schneckenreiter, C., Pietschnig, J., Lubowitzki, S., Unseld, M., Füreder, T., Bartsch, R., Masel, E. K., Adamidis, F., Kum, L., Kiesewetter, B., Zöchbauer-Müller, S., Raderer, M., Krauth, M-T., Staber, P. B., Valent, P., & Gaiger, A. (2023). The impact of COVID-19 and socioeconomic status on psychological distress in cancer patients. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 23(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2023.10040
  • Fries, J., Baudson, T. G., Kovacs, K., & Pietschnig, J. (2022). Bright, but allergic and neurotic? A critical investigation of the “overexcitable genius” hypothesis. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, [1051910]. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1051910
  • Lazaridis, A., Vetter, M., & Pietschnig, J. (2022). Domain-specificity of Flynn effects in the CHC-model: Stratum II test score changes in Germanophone samples (1996-2018). Intelligence: a multidisciplinary journal, 95, [101707]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2022.101707
  • Fries, J., Kovacs, K., Zeilinger, E. L., & Pietschnig, J. (2022). Is There a “Gifted Personality”? Initial Evidence for Differences between MENSA and General Population Members in the HEXACO Personality Inventory. Journal of Intelligence, 10(4), [92]. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10040092
  • Fries, J., & Pietschnig, J. (2022). An intelligent mind in a healthy body? Predicting health by cognitive ability in a large European sample. Intelligence: a multidisciplinary journal, 93, [101666]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2022.101666
  • Steininger, B., & Pietschnig, J. (2022). Evidence for the superordinate predictive ability of trait psychopathy: The Dark Triad and quality of sexual life. Personality and Individual Differences, 193, [111620]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.111620

Prof. Dr. Clemens Stachl

Director of Institute of Behavioral Science and Technology

University of St. Gallen

Prof. Dr. Clemens Stachl directs the Institute of Behavioral Research and Technology at the University of St. Gallen. At the School of Management in St. Gallen, he currently heads the programs “Mobile sensing and behavioral metrics” and “Digital footprints and AI for psychometrics”. Clemens Stachl is also often called on as a consultant by private-sector companies in the automobile, healthcare, and lifestyle industries.

His work lies at the intersection between behavioral and computer science. Through the use of computer-assisted technologies, he examines and objectively quantifies every-day human behavior, situational markers and psychological processes. In particular, he researches (1) how to use technology to better understand human behavior, experience and preferences; (2) how to leverage AI/machine learning to statistically determine individual differences (such as personality traits) from digital footprints; and (3) how to design intelligent systems and services with reference to stable user traits and momentary states, so as to better support people in their every-day life. Further, he examines and publicly raises awareness of the personal and societal consequences produced by wide-spread and unconsidered use of digital behavioral data for algorithmic decision-making.

  • Stachl, C., Au, Q., Schoedel, R., Gosling, S. D., Harari, G. M., Buschek, D., Völkel, S. T., Schuwerk, T., Oldemeier, M., Ullmann, T., Hussmann, H., Bischl, B., & Bühner, M. (2020). Predicting personality from patterns of behavior collected with smartphones. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117(30), 17680–17687. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1920484117
  • Stachl, C., Pargent, F., Hilbert, S., Harari, G. M., Schoedel, R., Vaid, S., Gosling, S. D., & Bühner, M. (2020). Personality Research and Assessment in the Era of Machine Learning. European Journal of Personality, 34(5), 613–631. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2257
  • Stachl, C., Boyd, R. L., Horstmann, K. T., Khambatta, P., Matz, S. C., & Harari, G. M. (2021). Computational Personality Assessment. Personality Science, 2, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.5964/PS.6115
  • Harari, G. M., Müller, S. R., Stachl, C., Wang, R., Wang, W., Bühner, M., Rentfrow, P. J., Campbell, A. T., & Gosling, S. D. (2019). Sensing Sociability: Individual Differences in Young Adults’ Conversation, Calling, Texting, and App Use Behaviors in Daily Life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000245
  • Schoedel, R., Pargent, F., Au, Q., Völkel, S. T., Schuwerk, T., Bühner, M., & Stachl, C. (2020). To Challenge the Morning Lark and the Night Owl: Using Smartphone Sensing Data to Investigate Day–Night Behaviour Patterns. European Journal of Personality, 34(5), 733–752. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2258
  • Stachl, C., & Bühner, M. (2015). Show me how you Drive and I’ll Tell you who you are Recognizing Gender Using Automotive Driving Parameters. Procedia Manufacturing, 3, 5587–5594. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2015.07.743