The impact of emotions on stereotyping and discrimination in workplace selection: The role of certainty appraisals
Item
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Title
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The impact of emotions on stereotyping and discrimination in workplace selection: The role of certainty appraisals
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:cf4b56f246dc:11284
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identifier
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11756
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Creator
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Benkendorf, Daniel L.,
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Contributor
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Kristin L. Sommer
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Date
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2012
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Occupational psychology | Social psychology | Appraisal tendencies | Certainty | Emotion | Selection | Stereotyping | Workplace
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Abstract
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In the present studies, an appraisal tendency approach (e.g., Lerner & Keltner, 2000, 2001) was adopted to make predictions regarding the role of emotional certainty in the use of stereotypes in a workplace context. This approach suggests that emotional certainty increases reliance on heuristic processing strategies, as evidenced by greater use of stereotypes. The current research examined stereotypes associated with physical attractiveness (Studies 1 & 3) and age (Study 2). In Studies 1 and 2, participants completed an emotional memory task designed to induce one of four specific emotions representing two different levels of emotional certainty. They then reviewed interview footage, a resume, and qualifying criteria before rating the hypothetical job candidate's personality and employability. In Study 3, participants completed four measures of dispositional emotion: anger, fear, happiness, and hope. All other features of the study were identical to Study 1. In Study 1, emotions high in certainty (compared to uncertainty) led to more favorable personality and employability ratings for attractive (compared to unattractive) candidates. In Study 2, the same pattern of results emerged for younger (compared to older) candidates. However, in Study 3, contrary to predictions, trait emotions characterized by high certainty (compared to uncertainty) did not lead to more favorable personality and employability ratings for attractive (compared to unattractive) candidates. Taken together, the findings contribute to a growing literature suggesting that certainty appraisals, when associated with temporary, incidental emotions, are a useful predictor of the likelihood that stereotypes will be applied in decision-making.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
