THE DOVER TEST SYSTEM – BASIC INFORMATION and WHAT IT IS USED FOR:      The Dover / Vienna System of testing is an Austrian developed testing concept – it does not train people; rather it finds suitable people for training.

1. This form of Psychometric skill testing was introduced to SA in approximately 1982 to the mining community and since then South African norms have been developed.

2. It is a basic skills-competency measurement tool - looks at fundamental practical skills: eye- hand-foot + basic manual co-ordination; reactions to stimuli in various environmental conditions; auditory discrimination; estimation of the speed / direction of moving objects, basic decision- making abilities and concentration levels under monotonous circumstances. It can also be used in recruitment to narrow down large numbers of applicants for a job.

3. It is a ‘risk detection and accident reduction tool’ - the Dover Tests identify candidates’ weak / problematic areas in their fundamental skills (which underlie their training on specific machines) candidates can receive appropriate training to improve their weak areas). This reduces accident potential, the cost of production losses, losses on equipment etc.

4. It does not assess whether or not candidates can actually do the jobs for which they have been trained (such as driving a truck) – it is not a simulator program, but looks at the basic foundation skills upon which more specific skills can be built – Poor / weak areas indicate a potential risk in the specific skill area, it does not mean that candidates will definitely have an accident but rather that they are at greater risk of potentially having  one.

   SUMMARY OF THE CONDUCTED TESTS:  

1. Determination Test (DT) This looks at basic reactive functioning, assuming how candidates will respond to stimuli in various environmental conditions. Candidates have to respond to visual and auditory stimuli, using eye-hand-foot co-ordination to accomplish this, in 3 types of conditions:

a) Normal conditions (eg: how the candidate responds to driving in normal traffic conditions, such as having to respond to stimuli like pedestrians and robot changes)

b) Crisis conditions (eg: how the candidate responds to stimuli in crises, such as the occurrence of a sudden nearby accident or other stress-related incident)

c) Crisis-recovery conditions (eg: how the candidate responds after the crisis is over and he/she has to return to normal levels of reactive functioning, such as getting around the accident and returning to responding to stimuli in normal driving conditions)

2. Time Movement Anticipation (ZBA) This looks at the candidates ability to estimate both the speed and direction of moving objects, such as other vehicles on the road (eg: when having to turn in front of an oncoming vehicle, candidates need to be able to estimate how quickly, and in what direction, the vehicles is coming so that they can safely turn in front of it)

3. 2Hand Co-ordination (2HAND) This looks at basic manual co-ordination using both hands together, focusing on speed and accuracy. Basic practical trainability potential (the assumed speed at which new hands-on skills can be learned / acquired) is also assessed.

4. Signal Detection (SIGNAL) This looks at the candidate’s ability to maintain concentration and respond to environmental stimuli in routine or monotonous conditions (such as a long distance road trip or doing repetitive daily work).

5. Cognitrone (COG) This looks at the candidates basic environmental shape recognition ability combined with basic decision-making ability (e.g.: the ability to recognise road signs, such as stop streets, and make appropriate decisions in time, such as to stop on time).