Making Decisions about Adverse Impact: The Influence of Individual and Situational Differences

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dc.contributor.advisorOswald, Frederick L.en_US
dc.creatorAlexander, Leoen_US
dc.date.accessioned2022-12-14T22:41:12Zen_US
dc.date.available2023-06-01T05:01:10Zen_US
dc.date.created2022-12en_US
dc.date.issued2022-12-02en_US
dc.date.submittedDecember 2022en_US
dc.date.updated2022-12-14T22:41:12Zen_US
dc.description.abstractResearchers studying adverse impact have focused primarily on the statistical properties of various adverse impact tests, almost completely neglecting the human decision-making processes involved in evaluating the fairness of employee selection decisions. The purpose of this study is to (a) use signal detection theory (SDT) to explore the effect of hiring scenario characteristics (i.e., size of the applicant pool, overall selection ratio, and minority proportion of the applicant pool) on laypeople’s sensitivity in detecting adverse impact, (b) explore how several individual differences (i.e., social desirability bias, risk-taking, neuroticism, and ambivalent sexism) may influence their response bias, and (c) replicate my prior research findings surrounding their sensitivity and response bias in making adverse impact judgments (Alexander, 2021). In the current study, 97 working-age adults recruited from an online panel were shown 57 selection scenarios with varying degrees of difference in selection rates between men and women and asked to decide if each scenario was fair or unfair by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s definition of adverse impact. Participants detected adverse impact beyond chance (d′ = 0.45) and exhibited a slightly conservative response bias (c = 0.18). Mixed-effects probit regression analyses were used to estimate SDT metrics reflecting relationships between various hiring scenario characteristics and individual differences in predicting decisions about adverse impact. Cognitive ability, overall selection ratio, and minority proportion of the applicant pool were all positively related to participant sensitivity. Hostile sexism related positively, and benevolent sexism related negatively, to response bias.en_US
dc.embargo.terms2023-06-01en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.citationAlexander, Leo. "Making Decisions about Adverse Impact: The Influence of Individual and Situational Differences." (2022) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/114147">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/114147</a>.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/114147en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.subjectadverse impacten_US
dc.subjectsignal detection theoryen_US
dc.subjectdecision-makingen_US
dc.subjecthiringen_US
dc.subjectfairnessen_US
dc.subjectmixed-effects probit regressionen_US
dc.titleMaking Decisions about Adverse Impact: The Influence of Individual and Situational Differencesen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.materialTexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentPsychologyen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineSocial Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen_US
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