Doctoral Dissertation Research: Double Standards and Team Selection

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SES - 1131093Murray Webster (PI)Sharon Doerer (co-PI)University of North Carolina, CharlotteDoctoral Dissertation Research: Double Standards and Team SelectionAbstractThis project examines how people make hiring recommendations. Specifically, this dissertation examines attitudes held by those making hiring recommendations, and how team recommendations evolve as a result of an interaction between the attitudes of evaluators and the qualifications of candidates.The project employs an experimental design and is grounded in social psychological theory. The first phase of the study measures some attitudes that other research has suggested may affect hiring recommendations. One hundred and fifty participants will complete this attitude assessment. In the second phase, these participants will then participate in a random assignment to one of three experimental groups. In the control condition, the participants will make recommendations of candidates based on the candidate information only. In the other two conditions, the PIs examine the effectiveness of two factors, formal standards for hiring and accountability, on hiring recommendations. In these conditions, the participants are given the same candidate information, but they will also be given either formal standards for evaluating the candidates or the participants will be told that they will be asked to explain their selection recommendations. Participants then review candidate qualifications and recommend candidates for a work-team. Thus, measures of the effect of the two interventions on participant recommendations are compared to recommendations given by participants who are only provided candidate information. The PIs also test for effects of participant attitudes on subsequent candidate recommendations. Broader ImpactsFindings from this research may inform our understanding of the social psychological factors that shape hiring decisions and are of interest to employers as well as job applicants. Thus, results from this research may have practical implications for a variety of organizations. In turn, findings may shape the development and effectiveness of interventions designed to optimize hiring decisions crucial to achieving organizational goals. In addition, the project builds on similar research conducted in other countries, which will enable us to assess the degree to which factors affecting hiring decisions are context- or culturally specific. In the process of conducting this research, the PIs will also advance the discipline by providing training in research methods to at least one other sociology student.