Archive for the ‘Psychometric Testing’ Category:
PsyAsia International is pleased to once again be supporting Singapore’s Human Resource professionals as a sponsor of the Singapore Human Resources Institute’s Annual Human Resource Congress.
The Singapore HR Congress and Business-Connect Exposition 2010 will address the newly derived term of HR TransmutationTM and explore the topic in deeper context. The current economic churning has made it explicitly clear that industry is not just facing another downturn but it is accompanied by impactful structural, demographic and mindset changes across industry and top management cannot afford to respond with anything less than a complete overhaul of the system to survive and sustain. Renowned speakers and leaders from the HR fraternity will share their experiences and provide useful insights on the know-how of managing paradoxes in a turbulent world.
PsyAsia’s clients are entitled to a 35% discount on the price of conference tickets. Please contact us in the first instance to avail of this special offer.
“A strong and capable HR community can be the catalyst and change agents to initiate and implement people development efforts in organisations, and help build stronger capabilities amongst our business leaders and managers.”
PM Lee Hsien Loong
11th World HR Congress 2006 organised by SHRI
PsyAsia International is Asia’s leading independent distributor of Psychometric Tests of Personality and Aptitude. From offices across Asia, including Singapore and Hong Kong, our psychologists assist the world’s top organisations and local governments to recruit, select, assess and retain the best employees. Our services are only offered by fully registered organisational psychologists with years of experience in their field. PsyAsia also offers world-class training in Psychometric Testing in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Online.
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Filed under Human Resources Articles (General), Personality Tests, Psychometric Testing, Recruitment & Selection, Talent Management, hrm
Tags:hr, hr conference singapore, hrm, hrm singapore, human resource management, human resources, Performance at Work, Personality Test, psychometric test, psychometric training singapore, Recruitment, Selection, Talent Management
Click the image to register!
This 90-minute webinar will cover some basic principles in recruitment and selection. Despite being basic, the principles are essential in ensuring integrity in delivery of service to the client of a recruitment consultant. In our work in Asia we come across many recruitment consultants each week. We value them as clients and recognise from our interactions that much of what they are doing goes against best practice and wish to help!
This webinar aims to address some of these issues and will cover topics such as:
- What information do I need from my client?
- What questions should I be asking my client when I meet with them?
- How do I do a brief job analysis?
- What is a person specification? Why is it important?
- How do I produce a person specification if my client doesn’t give me one?
- How do I choose which psychometric test(s) to use?
- Basic Behavioural Interviewing skills
- What other assessments could I use?
- Is there an easy way to collate all of my data on multiple candidates and rank order it for presentation to my client?
The webinar is aimed primarily at recruitment consultants, however the material covered will be useful and applicable to anybody involved in employee recruitment/selection.
There is a small US$10 fee for the webinar to be paid by credit card at paypal.com* and you will receive details after registration. All paid registrants will receive a one-week access to a recorded version of the webinar at our online learning center. This will help you recap information and will be useful if you are unexpectedly unable to attend the live session.
*Fee waived for PsyAsia clients who have made any purchase in the past 3 months.
The session will be conducted by a fully registered organisational psychologist with years of experience in recruitment, selection and development for multi-nationals as well as governments in Asia. There will be ample time for questions and answers – if more time is needed, an additional session can easily be arranged without further fee.
Click the image to register!
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Filed under Free Webinars & Online Learning, Human Resources Articles (General), Job Analysis, Personality Tests, Psychometric Testing, Recruitment & Selection
Tags:Behavior Interviews, Behavioural Based Interviews, Employee Selection, hr, hrm, human resources, Psychometric Testing, Recruitment, Recruitment Consultants, Scientific Recruitment and Selection, Selection
Types of Bias in Psychometric Test Translation
With the demand and need for psychological tests increasing in various different cultures and countries, there has been much greater awareness regarding some of the issues that are associated with the development or adaptation of tests to be used in contexts and situations that may be different from which the test was developed for. This article focuses on one of the key aspects of translating tests, the types of bias that can occur.
When utilizing the test in a new cultural group, it is not quite as simple as directly translating the test, administering it and then comparing the results for its validity. There are a number of issues that need to be considered such as whether the area assessed with the test applies to the new culture or whether is may be biased towards that group and whether what is assessed by the test also has similar behavioral indicators? These are just some of the potential areas where bias can be found in the translation of tests and affect the validity of the test being utilized in the new context.
Van der Vijer & Hambleton (1996) differentiates between three distinct types of bias that may affect the validity of tests that have been adapted for different cultural contexts and these are construct bias, method bias and item bias.
Construct bias occurs when the construct (e.g. personality) that is measured by the test displays significant differences between the original culture for which it was developed and the new culture where it is going to be utilized. These differences can occur in the way that the construct was formulated and developed as well as in the relevant behaviors that are associated with the construct. It is critical to examine whether the underlying theory of the test is subject to construct bias and this can be examined through the studies examining the construct and its associated behaviors in the context that it will be utilized in. If there are significant differences found in these studies, it may indicative that there is construct bias. Major revisions may be required to overcome this bias. If not, the validity of the test will be affected.
Method bias refers to factors or issues related to the administration of the test that may affect the validity of the test. Examples of areas that method bias can occur include social desirability, acquiescence response styles, the conditions in which the test was conducted and the motivation of the respondents. Across cultures, there potentially can be differences that can occur in these areas and these can affect the way that the respondents answer the items in the test. This potentially may lead to differences between found that can be erroneously attributed to cultural differences when in fact, these differences are the result of differences in the administration procedures. As a result, it is threat to the validity of tests that have been adapted for use in new cultures. Test developers also not only need to focus on the adaptation of the test itself but also need to be aware of issues regarding the implementation of the test in a new context.
Item bias is another source of bias that can occur in the translation of tests and these refer to biases that occur with the items in the test. This is usually the result of either poor translation choices for items or due to culturally inappropriate translations. For example, the phrase “kick the bucket” is essentially a phrase that referring to passing away in the Western context and is commonly known by most people in that culture; unfortunately, this phrase would have no meaning for people from cultures without any prior experience with that phrase. In this manner, a literal translation of that phrase would be a poor translation as it does not convey the correct meaning of the item. The items in the test need to be culturally equivalent, where the meaning of the items needs to be correctly translated so as to maintain the validity of the test in the new cultural context.
These are some of the biases that may occur during the translation of tests. Test developers will need to be aware of the sources of bias and take the appropriate measures to avoid these biases.
References:
Van der Vijer, F. and Hambleton, R. K. (1996). Translating tests: some practical guidelines. European Psychologist, 1, 89-99.
Psychometric Training in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and China
If you are serious about using psychometric tests properly then we recommend joining PsyAsia International’s Psychometric Assessment at Work Course which leads to a certificate of competence in Occupational Testing Level A and Level B from the British Psychological Society. The Course is run publically in Singapore and Hong Kong or in-house anywhere.
More details about BPS Level A and B in Singapore and Hong Kong
Online Psychometric Training – Worldwide
Alternatively, you might be interested in introductory Online Psychometric Test Training presented live by a registered psychologist. PsyAsia is offering a special fee of just US$12 for anybody who registers for the February online psychometric training course!
More details about online psychometric test training
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Filed under Ability, Aptitude & Intelligence, Human Resources Articles (General), Personality Tests, Psychometric Testing
Tags:bias in psychometric tests, hrm, online psychometric test training, online psychometric testing, Personality Test, psychometric test training, psychometric training hong kong, psychometric training singapore, validity of psychometrics
Introduction
PsyAsia International is pleased to announce an exceptional offer for those interested in learning psychometric test administration from the comfort of their office or home.
Why only US$12?
Some months ago PsyAsia International was chosen to become part of the panel of beta-testers for a new online training software. The beta program will end next month as the software is almost ready to go live. In view of this PsyAsia is now ready to use the software as our final stage in the beta program with our valued clients. For this reason, rather than charging the regular fee for our online psychometric test administration training course, we are offering similar training for just a $12 registration fee.
Your facilitator
PsyAsia International is well known for professional and competent training in Psychometrics. This course will be no different. It will be facilitated live by award-winning psychologist Dr. Graham Tyler.
Course Outline
This is a first-level introductory course in psychometric test administration. The course will prepare attendees to become more competent in administering psychometric tests.
-What is a psychometric test
-Types of psychometric tests
-Requirements of good tests
-Psychometric Principles
-Reliability
-Validity
-Running a psychometric test session
-Candidate questions and deviance
-Scoring and norming of tests
-Ethical test use
More offers
Those who register for this online course, pay the US$12 fee and attend all 3 one hour sessions may also register for our 1-day BPS Test Administration Certificate Course in February in Singapore or March in Hong Kong at a 15% discount. Alternatively, you may choose to attend only the afternoon of the above training (which is mainly practical assessments) and pay only 50% of the published course fee. You will need to pay the BPS Assessment fee at the current rate if you wish to be assessed for the BPS certificate. A PsyAsia certificate will be presented to all attendees at the real-life course. Discount codes will be sent to eligible persons after the final training session.
Registration Process
Registration is simple! Click on the link below. Complete the short registration form and ensure that you provide your work email address (free accounts such as yahoo/gmail/hotmail etc will be rejected). Within one working day of completing the form you will receive an email from Paypal with a request for your US$12 payment. Click on the link in the email and pay using your credit card at the paypal site. Within one working day of your payment we will approve your registration and send you a link to download some files that we will use during the training and complete a pre-course quiz. The email will also contain a link for you to log-into each training session. Please pay the registration fee as soon as you can to avoid losing your place. Places are available on a first-paid/first-confirmed basis!!
Click here to register
How the training works
You will need a computer with a reasonable internet connection along with a microphone/headphone set. The training will be transmitted to your computer in slide form and live demo of various systems and websites related to psychometrics. The facilitator will use a mic to teach you. You will also have the opportunity to share with other attendees and ask questions either by way of your microphone or text chat.
Terms and Conditions
The training is open to anybody worldwide who is able to attend on all 3 days between 5pm and 6pm Singapore/Hong Kong time and who can satisfy ALL of the following:
1. Register with accurate data and a work email account
2. Pay the US$12 registration fee
3. Have a computer with an internet connection/headset and mic. However, you may choose to telephone in rather than use a mic/headphone. In this case you must be happy calling a number in USA, New Zealand or Australia. The number will be provided with your registration.
4. Must not be already trained in test administration or BPS Level A – this is because we want to give this opportunity to those who want to learn something new rather than those who may be more interested in finding out how our system works!
5. Must not be a competitor
Click here to register
PsyAsia International will be suspending blog posts to our educational sites at www.assessmentcentral.com, www.psychometrictests.sg and www.psychometricassessment.com/blog until after the Christmas and New Year break while our blog writers take some well earned time off. Thank you for keeping up to date with us at our blogs during 2009 and we look forward to writing more about psychometric tests, human resource management and business psychology for our readers in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China and worldwide. Enjoy the holidays!
The Market for Psychometrics in Singapore
There are so many Psychometric Tests on the market in Singapore now, the task of choosing the right one is not easy. Choice is always a good thing, however as humans we often look for easy or stereotypical ways of making those choices and they are not always the best ones to make. For example, a client of ours was preparing for an upcoming team-building session. He approached us asking if we had a certain test that he could use in that session. Our answer was that we don’t supply that test for various very good reasons. The client’s response was “but so many people use it”. This is a typical response. Another potential client had been looking around in Singapore for Psychometric Personality Tests to use in his training sessions as an added benefit. He categorically advised us that he was not interested in validity and was looking for something simple and cheap! The reality here is that at best he is wasting his time and the time of those who will complete his tests. At worst and most likely, his trainees will be led to believe things about themselves which frankly may not be true (reliable or valid!).
Science, Psychology, Psychometrics and the Real World of Business
As busy professionals we often assume that if lots of other people are using a test it must be a good one. This is a huge mistake. Our evolution has programmed us to be seduced by glossy advertising materials and confident, friendly salespeople. On the other hand, we have a tendency to be turned off by less glossy scientific figures, statistics and perhaps psychologists such as myself who speak about the science and real value behind a test, its validity! Ultimately then, both our clients and ourselves as psychologists have problems to overcome!!
Psychologists have to be able to explain in more “glossy” terms about the technical properties of a test and our clients, usually the HR and aligned professions, are invited to turn their ears our way for a little while, just long enough to get the notion that there is more to a psychometric test than meets the eye!
Technical Properties of Psychometric Tests
When we talk of the technical properties of a psychometric test, we are referring to things such as its reliability and validity as well as how it was constructed. If a test is constructed well, it will take time. Not months, often years. The test will also evolve over time such that more and validity data will be added to its manuals. This process is costly, hence good tests cost money.
If you come across cheap tests, that should start to ring alarm bells. It’s possible to write a few questions on a napkin in a restaurant and call it psychometric and even try to sell it. If it looks good and the questions look relevant perhaps it will sell and gain a huge following. But how reliable is that test?
In other words, can it provide consistent measurement of your candidate? If your bathroom scales provide different results each time you weight yourself you take them back and say these are not reliable. Likewise with a test, you need to ensure that it is consistently assessing the constructs that it purports to assess. We often come across new clients who are shocked when we tell them that good personality tests often contain around 200 questions. However, buyer beware! We know that the longer the test, the more reliable the results (as long as it is not so long that the candidate falls asleep!).
An unreliable test can not be a valid test, hence reliability is a precursor to validity. However, validity is arguably the most important aspect of a test. You choose to use tests because you want them to illustrate where a candidate stands in terms of their ability or personality or in order to predict how your candidate will perform or behave in a job. The test’s ability to meet this need is referred to as validity.
Some tests on the market are simply more valid that others. In fact, one test in the past year has proven to be more valid than all other tests it was compared with on the market! How come users stay with their current test then? Perhaps because of preference, habit, price, mass-following and so on. However, do ask yourself and your test supplier, how valid is your test – this is the single most important technical property in a psychometric test!
Sometimes tests which are more valid will be more expensive but this makes sense. If a test took a long time to develop, was developed well and by a reputable publisher and is based on well founded theories that have been researched internationally, then surely it is worth paying the extra as such a test will provide an excellent return on investment with its strong validity.
Training to use Psychometric Tests in Singapore
Properly developed psychometric tests require proper training to be used competently. If your test supplier requires that you undergo very limited or no training, this is a reflection of the test as well as their lack of understanding of psychometrics. You need to understand the concepts referred to above, as well as error in testing and how to make decisions based on test results, let alone how to feed back results properly to candidates and decision-makers. The type of questions (i.e., forced choice versus rating scales) will also dictate how you can use the results – you need to be trained to understand this! In some parts of the world (South Africa for example), only psychologists can use psychometric tests. Whilst this is a strict rule, it has its logical basis in how easy it is for untrained professionals to use tests wrongly.
Purchasing Psychometric Tests in Singapore
You may also wish to consider where you purchase your tests from, particularly in Singapore. In recent years we have seen an influx of profiteers in the industry who seek to make money but lack any depth of understanding in psychometrics or psychology at work. This will change in time as psychology in Singapore develops. For now however, be wary of this and we suggest that you only purchase psychometric tests from fully registered organisational psychologists who have a firm grounding in personality, psychometrics and psychology at work and who are answerable to professional competence and ethics boards. Many of those selling psychometric tests in Singapore are simply not answerable to anybody in terms of their conduct or competence. You can therefore not be certain that any advice they provide is relevant, up-to-date or will work in your organisation.
There are many more things to be aware of when choosing psychometric tests in Singapore. We cannot entertain them all here due to space constraints. You may wish to look out for training courses in Psychometric Assessment such as our our Psychometric Assessment at Work training which leads to the internationally recognised British Psychological Society Level A and B Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing. Such courses will prepare you further for choosing the right test and therein avoid costly selection and development mistakes. Look for courses run by experts in psychometrics who are based in Singapore and hence have a strong understanding of test use aligned with local culture, laws and practice.
Note: some Singapore firms will ship in overseas trainers to run psychometric training. We suggest you avoid this training reseller model given that the facilitator is based overseas and is thus likely to lack knowledge of the Singapore business/legal and cultural environment for Psychometric Testing.
This article is Copyright PsyAsia International Pte Ltd.
It was originally written for Human Resources Magazine in Singapore
A shorter version of the article appears in the magazine’s November 2009 issue
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Filed under Psychometric Test Purchase FAQs, Psychometric Test Training and Accreditation, Psychometric Testing
Tags:Personality Assessment, Personality Test, personality test singapore, Personality Tests, psychometric test, psychometric test training, psychometric training singapore, reliability of psychometrics, validity of psychometrics
Written on October 29th, 2009 by Derekno shouts
There have been a number of comments from clients and the general public regarding the length of psychometric assessments and queries about the reasons why psychometric assessments are so long. It needs to be kept in mind that for psychometric assessments to have utility and be effective when assessing people for various purposes, the assessment has to be reliable and valid for the situation.
All psychometric assessments are not 100% accurate and measurement errors from a variety of sources can affect the results. The length (i.e. the number of items) of the assessment affects the reliabilty of the assessment and research has demonstrated that measurement errors are smaller in longer assessments than in shorter assessments. In addition, a larger number of items better represent the abstract characteristics that are being assessed. For example, when assessing personality, one cannot expect to obtain an accurate picture of an individual through a few questions, therefore more items are needed. It has to be noted that after a limit, increasing the number of items will not provide further increases to reliability as other factors such as fatigue will set in.
It is for this reason that good psychometric assessments will have a large number of items and therefore require some time for the candidates to complete the assessment (usually between 200-250 questions, taking around 30-40 minutes). Psychometric assessments that are shorter will tend to be less reliable and valid. With a large number of items, the reliability of the assessment will be better and in turn the validity of the assessment will be better too. Validity is all about predicting performance. So with high validity clients get a higher return on their investment.
PsyAsia International is pleased to advise that we have published the dates for our final series of webinars in 2009. Webinars are free and open to all non-competitors involved in Human Resource Management, Coaching and/or related fields. These following provides information on the webinars:
4 November: Saville Consulting Wave
You will see an overview of the Wave alongside research that shows the Wave beats other tests on the market in predicting performance at work and leadership. You will also have an opportunity to trial the Wave.
• Overview of the Saville Consulting Wave
• Aptitude Assessments and Personality Assessments
• Brief overview of the various assessments
• Scales of the Saville Consulting Wave
• Features of the Saville Consulting Wave
• Benefits of the Saville Consulting Wave
• Saville Consulting Wave Accreditation (Conversion and Full Module)
• Comparison with other personality assessments
-To register, please click here.
-Then choose “Show all meetings” and click register next to your preferred webinar
-Complete and submit the short registration form
-We will review your registration and send you a link to attend the webinar within a few days
-Kindly note that we take a maximum of 25 attendees at the webinar, so early registration is advised
18 November: Utilizing Competency Profiling to Improve Recruitment and Selection
This webinar will introduce attendees to competencies and how to conduct competency profiling, along with research on the effectiveness of the procedure and outcomes.
• Explaining Competencies
• What is Competency Profiling?
• Why use Competency Profiling?
• Process of Identifying Competencies
• Methods of Identifying Competencies
• Process of Utilizing Competencies for Selection
• How does it help in Recruitment and Selection?
• Research on the effectiveness of Competency Profiling in Recruitment and Selection
• Other areas of Utility for Competency Profiling
-To register, please click here.
-Then choose “Show all meetings” and click register next to your preferred webinar
-Complete and submit the short registration form
-We will review your registration and send you a link to attend the webinar within a few days
-Kindly note that we take a maximum of 25 attendees at the webinar, so early registration is advised
10 December: Identity Self Perception Questionnaire
Attendees will be introduced to this personality assessment which produces the most comprehensive assessment of personality on the market. You will also have an opportunity to trial Identity.
• Overview of the Identity Self Perception Questionnaire
• Scales of the Identity Self Perception Questionnaire
• Range of Application for the Identity Self Perception Questionnaire
• Advantages of the Identity Self Perception Questionnaire
• Identity Self Perception Questionnaire Accreditation Course
• Relative Comparison with other Questionnaires
-To register, please click here.
-Then choose “Show all meetings” and click register next to your preferred webinar
-Complete and submit the short registration form
-We will review your registration and send you a link to attend the webinar within a few days
-Kindly note that we take a maximum of 25 attendees at the webinar, so early registration is advised
Webinars run during the China, Singapore, Hong Kong lunch hour – that is, 12.30pm to 1.30pm.
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Filed under Free Webinars & Online Learning, Human Resources Articles (General), Psychometric Testing, Recruitment & Selection
Tags:competencies in recruitment, competency based selection, hrm webinars, Human Resource Management Webinars, identity personality test, psychometric tests, saville wave, saville wave webinars
PsyAsia International is pleased to announce a special offer from Saville Consulting. For clients interested in attending our Saville Consulting Wave® Training in Singapore or Hong Kong and who are able to send 2 or more delegates from their organisation, Saville Consulting Asia Pacific are offering a complimentary Saville Oasys Online Psychometric Assessment System.
Oasys is a cutting-edge management system for the administration, scoring, reporting and interpretation of the world’s most revolutionary psychometric assessments. These include the Saville Consulting Wave®, the Saville Consulting Wave Focus, the newly released and revolutionary Saville Personality Profile, a full range of modern and innovative aptitude tests*, a job profiler for use prior to selection and a 360 performance appraisal. Use of the Oasys system cuts down on the costs of psychometric testing in organisations as clients have full control over their candidates and pay a system fee per report rather than paying us a higher bureau service fee. Oasys usually sells for SG$6000 or HK$30,000 so this is a very special offer. It is limited and will expire after the following training course dates and the system will then sell at the regular fee.
To avail of the offer, please register at least 2 people from the same organisation for one of the following courses at http://www.psyasia.com/register
SINGAPORE COURSES
Wave Conversion: 25 November 2009
(for those who already hold a qualification in a substantive personality test or BPS Level B)
Wave Full Training: 25-26 November 2009
(for those without a qualification in a substantive personality test)*
HONG KONG COURSES
Wave Conversion: 1 December 2009
(for those who already hold a qualification in a substantive personality test or BPS Level B)
Wave Full Training: 1-2 December 2009
(for those without a qualification in a substantive personality test)*
IN HOUSE COURSES
PsyAsia International is also accredited to run in-house courses for the Saville Wave. The same offer will apply. By engaging PsyAsia to run an in-house course for you before December 2009, we will be able to supply one Saville Oasys System on a complimentary basis. Please contact us for further details on our in-house training for Saville Wave.
More details on the courses
More details on Saville Consulting Wave
*for those without training to BPS Level A or an equivalent, the aptitude tests will be disabled in the system until such time as the client undergoes such training. PsyAsia offers BPS Level A Certification Training in Singapore and Hong Kong.
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Filed under Performance at Work, Psychometric Test Training and Accreditation, Psychometric Testing, Recruitment & Selection
Tags:online psychometric systems, online psychometric testing, psychometric test training hong kong, psychometric test training singapore, save consulting wave singapore, saville consulting oasys, saville consulting wave, saville wave, saville wave test, saville wave training, saville wave training hong kong, saville wave training singapore, waves test
PsyAsia International, Asia’s leading independent provider of psychometric assessment products and training today announced a free psychometric test training workshop in three prime Asian locations in December. The workshops will cover the basics in psychometric assessment, such as reliability, validity and error, along with pointers and discussion on how to choose the right psychometric test. Courses will be facilitated by PsyAsia’s organisational psychologists who have at least an MSc in Organisational Psychology along with the British Psychological Society Level A and B Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing. PsyAsia’s psychometric training courses in Asia have been the subject of many years of positive reviews (many published at the website). This course will bring best practice and an introduction to competence to those who would otherwise not realise the issues involved in testing due to the costs of regular training courses.
PsyAsia will charge registrants a small fee to reflect the company’s costs in running the training session. The fee is just US$70 (SG$99/HK$550). This covers a full buffet lunch in a top hotel along with day-long refreshments, handouts and a certificate of attendance. However, PsyAsia will even refund this fee back to any participant who registers for one of the company’s psychometric accreditation courses within 6 months!
The dates are:
Hong Kong: 3 December 2009
Kuala Lumpur: 8 December 2009
Singapore: 9 December 2009
More information
Online Registration
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