Browsing by Author "Swerdlin, Marnie Rose"

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    Information search in personnel selection decisions: The influence of affirmative action, decision set, and selection ratio
    (1995) Swerdlin, Marnie Rose; Schneider, David J.
    A series of three laboratory experiments examined effects of affirmative action (AA) employment policies, decision set (in terms of accepting or rejecting applicants), and selection ratio (ratio of applicants to available positions) on amount, duration, content, and sequence of information search on job applicants, on personnel selection decisions, and on judgments of applicants. AA was investigated only in conjunction with a concern for hiring qualified applicants and only with respect to applicant gender (not race/ethnicity). The target job was a slightly male sex-typed job. A computerized information board tracked information search. When no decision set was provided, AA increased (decreased) the amount of search on female (male) applicants when considering search on females relative to males and decreased the time spent on males. More females (and fewer males) were hired in the presence than absence of an AA policy unless there was a high selection ratio with no decision set provided. More failure-relevant information about applicants was sought in a reject than accept decision set when there was not an AA policy. Amount of intradimensional search (search by attribute across applicants) was greater in a reject than accept decision set. Decision set also affected ratings of applicant qualifications. The amount and duration of search on applicants who were selected was greater for a low than high selection ratio. The same pattern held for duration per item of information on applicants who were selected if there was an accept decision set or no decision set was provided. Decision makers were more (less) accurate in identifying the best- (least-) qualified applicants when there was a low than high selection ratio. When comparing the number of females hired relative to their proportion in the applicant pool, females were either on equal footing or at an advantage (disadvantage) relative to males in the presence (absence) of an AA policy, depending on decision set and selection ratio. AA attitudes affected information search although not in a consistent manner across experiments. The multitude of effects found highlights the sensitivity of information search in the personnel selection process to person, task, and environmental characteristics.
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    Motivated strategies in the performance appraisal process: Effects of rater accountability
    (1992) Swerdlin, Marnie Rose; Martell, Richard F.
    Recent performance appraisal research has focused on rater cognitive processes. Instead, this research examined the effects of a motivational variable, accountability, on rater cognitive processes and on performance ratings. In the first experiment, accountability attenuated a primacy effect in evaluative ratings, and, when negative information was presented first, increased the time spent looking at performance information. However, there was no evidence that looking time mediated the effect of accountability on evaluative ratings. In the second experiment, accountable subjects had a more conservative response bias in behavioral ratings relative to unaccountable subjects if evaluative ratings were made prior to behavioral ratings. Accountable subjects who made behavioral ratings first showed no response bias in behavioral ratings although they had less confidence in their ratings relative to other subjects. This research demonstrates that accountability can influence rater cognitive processes and thus performance ratings but that its effects are situational.