four-fifths rule

an arbitrary rule of thumb for determining a prima facie case of discrimination, as set forth in the Uniform Guidelines for Employee Selection Procedures. If the employer hires a protected group (e.g., an ethnic minority, women) at a rate that is less than four fifths the rate at which the majority group (i.e., White males) is hired, the company must justify its hiring procedures by showing that they are job-related or of business necessity. If justification cannot be provided, the employer may be open to a charge of violating civil rights laws. See also adverse impact; affirmative action; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; equal opportunity.

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Psychology term of the day

December 19th 2024

all-possible-subsets regression

a method for predicting an outcome variable based on a series of equations formed by all possible subsets of predictors from a finite pool of predictors. The “best” subset is identified using criteria established by the researcher, such as the value of Akaike’s information criterion or of the coefficient of multiple determination. Also called all-possible-subsets multiple regression; setwise regression.