Paying Attention : a Study of Attentional and Interpersonal Styles of Hotel and Restaurant Administration Students

Abstract

Perception is selective due to the limited ability of humans to process information. Choices must be made whether to attend with a broad or narrow focus, and to focus externally or on internal thoughts. These choices determine performance in a variety of settings. Sixty-one hotel and restaurant administration students took a self-report inventory measuring attentional and interpersonal style. Results indicate that they read and react to the environment better, court a busier world, present a more outgoing style, and take a more competitive approach to matters than other university students. They also differed from business and sales executives in a number of areas. These differences are discussed relative to instructor/curriculum presentations, industry recruiting, and career potential for HRA graduates.Key Words:

Attentional and Interpersonal Characteristics of Restaurant General Managers in Comparison With Other Groups of Interest

“…The 61 hotel and restaurant administration students at Washington State University's Seattle Center were seniors as reported by Whitney and Pratt (1987).…”

“…The general comparison groups existing from previous research were reported in Whitney and Pratt (1987). The primary group was the standard norm group of college students reported in the Nideffer (1976) study.…”

“…We were interested in comparing these general managers with the hotel and restaurant administration (HRA) senior students we reported in previous research (Whitney & Pratt, 1987) and with the service staff in the GM's system. Presumably these are two groups who have interests and aspirations similar to the GM's.…”