Premium
What's in a Name? A Multiracial Investigation of the Role of Occupational Stereotypes in Selection Decisions
Author(s) -
King Eden B.,
Mendoza Saaid A.,
Madera Juan M.,
Hebl Mikki R.,
Knight Jennifer L.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.0021-9029.2006.00035.x
Subject(s) - race (biology) , psychology , white (mutation) , mediation , quality (philosophy) , social psychology , selection (genetic algorithm) , gender studies , political science , sociology , law , computer science , biochemistry , chemistry , philosophy , epistemology , artificial intelligence , gene
Bertrand & Mullainathan (2002) found evidence that race‐typed names can have a significant influence on the evaluation of résumés. The current study expanded on their research by manipulating both the race (Asian American, Black, Hispanic, White) and quality of the résumé (high, low), and by considering occupational stereotypes as an explanatory mechanism. White male participants ( N =155) read a fictitious résumé, evaluated the applicant, and judged his suitability for jobs. The results revealed that Asian American individuals were evaluated highly for high‐status jobs, regardless of their résumé quality. White and Hispanic applicants both benefited from a high‐quality résumé, but Black applicants were evaluated negatively, even with strong credentials. Results of mediation analyses demonstrated that occupational stereotypes accounted for the relationship between race and evaluations of applicants.