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Imagine Me and You, I Do: Effects of imagined intergroup contact on anti‐fat bias in the context of job interviews
Author(s) -
Merritt Stephanie,
Gardner Cari,
Huber Kelli,
Wexler Breanna,
Banister Christina,
Staley Amy
Publication year - 2018
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/jasp.12492
Subject(s) - psychology , prejudice (legal term) , job interview , competence (human resources) , social psychology , social contact , applied psychology
Imagined intergroup contact (IIC) has been demonstrated to alleviate prejudice toward social groups as a whole, but the extent to which it prevents biases in ratings of individual job candidates has not yet been examined. This study uses a simulated employment interview where a female candidate either higher or lower in body fat is rated by participants who have undergone an IIC or a control manipulation. IIC successfully alleviated discrimination in ratings of interviewee competence but had no significant effect on ratings of warmth. Competence ratings fully mediated the effect of the two‐way interaction of IIC and interviewee body fat on a dichotomous hiring recommendation provided 1 week later. IIC may be an effective and inexpensive intervention for reducing bias in job interview contexts.