We report the findings of a meta-analytic review of experimental studies concerned with the biasing effect of physical attractiveness on a variety of job-related outcomes. In support of implicit personality theory, attractive individuals were found to fare better than unattractive individuals in terms of a number of such outcomes. The weighted mean effect size, d, was .37 for all studies. In addition, tests for moderating effects showed that (a) the attractiveness bias did not differ between studies that provided low versus high amounts of job-relevant information about the targets, (b) the same bias was greater for within-subjects research designs than for between-subjects designs, (c) professionals were as susceptible to the bias as were college students, (d) attractiveness was as important for men as for women, and (e) the biasing effect of attractiveness has decreased in recent years. Implications of these findings are considered.Over the past few decades, numerous individual studies and several meta-analytic reviews have shown that physical attractiveness is important in the U.S. More specifically, the same studies have demonstrated that there is a positive correlation between physical attractiveness (referred to hereinafter as attractiveness) and a host of outcomes. For example, attractiveness has been shown to influence, among other variables, initial impressions (We thank the three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions on an earlier version of this article.Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Meymi Hosoda,
PurposeAlthough statistical evidence clearly demonstrates discrimination against foreign‐accented individuals in the workplace, surprisingly little research attention has been paid to how such individuals are evaluated when they apply for jobs. Thus, the aim of this paper is to examine the effects of applicant accent on access‐related employment decisions across four jobs that differed on job status and communication demands.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a 3 (applicant accent: Standard American English, French, and Japanese) × 2 (job status: low vs high)×2 (communication demands: low vs high) mixed‐factorial design, and data from 286 college students at two different locations.FindingsResults show that in comparison with French‐accented applicants, Japanese‐accented applicants fared worse on employment‐related decisions, especially for jobs that had high communication demands, even after controlling for applicant understandability and location. French‐accented applicants were viewed as favorably as, or more favorably than, Standard American English‐accented applicants.Research limitations/implicationsApplicant accent was confounded with applicant names. Thus, it is not known whether the obtained results are due to applicant accent, names, or both.Practical implicationsIt was found that organizations could do one of the following: use structured interviews; train interviewers on potential biases against foreign‐accented applicants; and provide more individuating information to reduce the effects of accent‐based stereotypes on employment‐related decisions.Originality/valueThe paper considers the communication demands of jobs and job status as influences on the evaluation of foreign‐accented applicants.
Purpose -Despite the fact that Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing segment of the population and that 44 percent of Hispanics of 18 years of age and older speak English less than very well, research examining the impact of Spanish-accented English on employment-related decisions has been scarce. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the effects of the accent (standard American English and Mexican Spanish) of a hypothetical job applicant on employment-related judgments and hiring decisions. Design/methodology/approach -Participants made employment-related decisions (i.e. job suitability ratings, likelihood of a promotion, and hiring decision) and judgments of personal attributes (i.e. perceived competence and warmth) of a hypothetical applicant for an entry-level software engineering job. The accent of the applicant was manipulated using the matched-guise technique. Findings -Results showed that compared to an applicant with a standard American-English accent, one with a Mexican-Spanish accent was at a disadvantage when applying for the software engineering job. The Mexican-Spanish-accented applicant was rated as less suitable for the job and viewed as less likely to be promoted to a managerial position. In addition, fewer participants decided to hire the Mexican-Spanish-accented applicant than the standard American English-accented applicant. Practical implications -Given the negative evaluations of the Mexican-Spanish-accented applicant, recruiters and interviewers should be selected who do not view foreign accents negatively. Furthermore, organizations should make a conscious effort to regard foreign accents as assets to their businesses. Originality/value -This research contributes to our understanding of how foreign accents influence decisions that have important economic consequences for individuals.
The present study examined the main and interactive effects of race, gender, and job type on job suitability ratings and selection decisions. Consistent with the double‐advantage additive effects model of race and gender, highly educated Black women were rated as more suitable for jobs and more likely to be selected for jobs requiring high levels of cognitive ability than were comparably educated White men, White women, or Black men. These results suggest that selection decisions might be jointly determined by race, gender, and the nature of a job. The implications of these findings for overcoming biases in employment‐related decision making are discussed.
Using a 2 (speaker accent: standard American, Asian) x 2 (speakers' sex: male, female) between-subjects design, the present study examined the effects of accent and sex on listeners' cognitive and affective reactions towards speakers with standard American English accents and Asian accents. 70 female and 27 male college students (M = 21.8 yr., SD = 4.7) listened to the audio recording of a monologue by one of the speakers in the early 20s who differed in accent and sex. Standard American English was operationalized as nonaccented English, typical of the western part of the USA, and Vietnamese-accented English was used as an exemplar of Asian-accented English. Results showed that relative to standard American-accented English speakers, Asian-accented English speakers were perceived as poorer communicators who were less potent, less threatening, and more concerned about others. These cognitive reactions to Asian-accented English speakers include (a) the general stereotype associated with an accent, status and solidarity, as well as (b) the stereotype unique to Asians as an ethnic group, being concerned for others and poorer communicators. Analysis also showed that speakers with an Asian accent evoked more negative affect and required more attention from listeners than did speakers with a standard American English accent. Implications of the study are discussed.
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