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APPLICANT AGE AND SELECTION INTERVIEW DECISIONS: EFFECT OF INFORMATION EXPOSURE ON AGE DISCRIMINATION IN PERSONNEL SELECTION
Author(s) -
SINGER M. S.,
SEWELL CHRISTINE
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
personnel psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.076
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1744-6570
pISSN - 0031-5826
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-6570.1989.tb01554.x
Subject(s) - generalizability theory , psychology , selection (genetic algorithm) , personnel selection , age discrimination , social psychology , job performance , applied psychology , sample (material) , age groups , selection bias , developmental psychology , demography , statistics , job satisfaction , computer science , chemistry , mathematics , chromatography , labour economics , artificial intelligence , sociology , economics
Two research questions pertaining to the applicant age bias effect were addressed in this study: the effect of age‐related information exposure on selection decisions and the issue of between‐sample generalizability with reference to the age bias effect. Manager and student selectors made selection decisions after viewing one videotape of a simulated selection interview of either an old or a young job applicant. Before viewing the interview tape, half of each subject group was given an item of age‐related information and the other half was given neutral information. The results showed that, under the neutral information condition, managers preferred hiring the young applicant for the low‐status job, and students favored the old candidate for the high‐status position. Under the age‐related information condition, managers shifted to favoring the old candidate for the low‐status job, and students preferred the young applicant for both the low‐ and high‐status positions. Age discrimination in selection decisions and the lack of external validity of student results in selection research are then discussed.