CIA-RDP96-00791R000100060001-1

Appro
se.2001
A-RDP96-01
060001-1
AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
1993

Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000100060001-1
ABOUT AIR
The American Institutes for Research in the
Behavioral Sciences (AIR) is an independent not-
for-profit corporation established in 1946. Over
150 professionals undertake basic and applied re-
search and provide technical support and manage-
ment services to government agencies, the
military, not-for-profit organizations, and private
corporations. At present, our annual volume is
more than $14 million.
AIR's current program encompasses ten areas of
emphasis that include: human performance re-
search, employment equity analysis, training
research, research on the specially challenged,
acquisition services, evaluation research, educa-
tional research, health research, document design
and communication research, and usability
engineering.
AIR was incorporated by John C. Flanagan in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as an outgrowth of the
successful Aviation Psychology Program in the
United States Army Air Forces in World War II.
Dr. Flanagan founded AIR as a research organiza-
tion devoted to the scientific study of human re-
sources and their effective use.
Corporate headquarters are in Washington, DC.
Three research centers are located in Palo Alto,
California, Bedford, Massachusetts, and
Washington, DC.
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AIR Newsletter
No. 9
Fall 1994
MER ICAN INSTITUTE'S FOR RESEARCH
Replacing the DOT
by: Norm Peterson, Director
Personnel Research Group
AIR Washington Research Center
Increased competition in world
Lmarkets has led United States'
business and government organizations
to focus on improving their ability to
compete and win in the new global
economic environment. A prime
example of this effort is a major new
Department of Labor initiative to
develop a prototype of a new occupa-
tional information and classification
system to replace the current Diction-
ary of Occupational Titles (DOT).
All three AIR offices, along with
five other research organizations
(Westat, Personnel Decisions Research
Institute, Inc. (PDRII), Management
Research Institute (MRI), Jeanneret &
Associates, and Policy Studies Associ-
ates (PSA)) are working with the
Department to develop and evaluate
the prototype by July 1996.
The new system is envisioned as an
electronic database or set of inter-
related databases that would allow a
variety of users to take maximum
advantage of occupational information;
users are expected to include, for
example, secondary school students
interested in exploring career options;
unemployed workers interested in
identifying occupations that would
make use of their abilities, skills, and
knowledge; and corporations interested
in identifying job-seekers who possess
the skills and knowledge required to
successfully perform certain jobs.
(Continued on page 4)
Pelavin Associates, Inc.
and AIR Join Forces
by: David A. Goslin and Sol H. Pelavin
O
n October 1, 1994, Pelavin Associ-
ates, Inc. officially became Pelavin
Research Institute, a wholly-owned, for-
profit subsidiary of the American
Institutes for Research. The merger of
Pelavin Associates and AIR represents
the culmination of more than eight
months of discussions among the
officers and senior staff of both organi-
zations, as well as AIR's Board of
Directors. The complementary strengths
of the two organizations provide our
sponsors with unmatched capabilities
across a broad range of behavioral and
social sciences.
Established in 1982, Pelavin Associ-
ates has been one of the nation's pre-
miere education and training research
corporations, providing expert advice
to a wide range of government agen-
cies and other organizations. Its clients
have included the U.S. Departments of
Education, Health and Human Ser-
vices, Labor, and Interior; the Congres-
sional Research Service; the College
Board; the states of California, Dela-
ware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia, and Washington; the National
Alliance of Business; and numerous
private-sector corporations.
Originally focused on education
policy analysis for the federal govern-
(Continued on page 2)
American Institute
for Research
Signing the final merger documents were (left to right) Alfred H. Munkenbeck,
Jr. (Chair, AIR Board of Directors), David A. Goslin (AIR President), and Sol H.
and Diane C. Pelavin of Pelavin Associates, Inc.
Personnel Assessment
Usability Testing
Program Evaluation
Employment Equity Analysis
Testing & TrainiApproved ForRelease 2000/08/10EdCIA-RDP96-00791R00010606058 Interaction
Human Factors Engineering
Health Care Research

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L
ocument
Design
Center
Strong, simple solutions
to complex problems
..
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:
AMERICAN INSTITUTES
FOR RESEARCH
Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000100060001-1

David A. Goslin
Approved For Palease 2000/08/10n: CIA-RDP96-00791R000100060001-1
3333 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007-3541
=
(202) 342-5077
(202) 342-5033 fax
DGoslin@AIR-DC.ORG
American
Institutes
for Research
Research and applications
in the behavioral and
social sciences since 1946
AMERICAN INSTITUTES
FOR RESEARCH
Approved For Release 2000/
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