Examination of race and sex effects on performance ratings.

The effects of rater source, rater and ratee race, rater and ratee sex, and job type were investigated on ratings collected for 8,642 first-term Army enlisted personnel. Ratings were made on 10 behaviorally based dimensions developed for evaluating all first-term soldiers. Results of between-Ss analyses similar to those conducted in past research revealed significant main effects and interactions for sex, race, rater source, and job type, but the variance accounted for by these effects was minimal. Repeated measures analyses were also performed, with each ratee evaluated by one Black and one White rater for the race effects analyses and one female and one male rater for the sex effects analyses. These analyses, which unconfounded rater bias and actual performance differences, yielded results similar to those obtained with the between-Ss design. Implications of the findings are discussed. ? (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of applicant's sex, race, and performance on employers' performance ratings: Some additional findings.

Studied the effect of ratee sex and race on rater evaluation when objective performance standards were established. 60 White male undergraduates in a personnel management course were assigned the role of grocery store manager and viewed a film depicting the performance of 8 stock room employees representing 4 sex-race combinations. Results indicate that Ss were able to distinguish clearly between high and low performers. Sex and race bias was found, however, even when objective performance standards had been implemented. While low-performing males and low-performing females were rated nearly identically, high-performing females were rated significantly higher than high-performing males. Low-performing Blacks were rated significantly higher than low-performing Whites. No significant difference was found between the Ss' ratings of high-performing Blacks and Whites. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of age, sex, and race bias in the Personality Inventory for Children.

The question of whether children's ability tests are biased has received much attention, but the same issue regarding children's personality tests has been neglected. In this study, the authors evaluated whether the external validity of the PIC, a parent-informant measure of child psychological status, was moderated by age, sex, or race. Using a hierarchical multiple-regression algorithm within a clinic-referred sample, it was found that child race and sex generally did not moderate the relation of PIC scales to symptoms checklists completed by clinicians, teachers, and parents. Some expected relations were modified by child age. Implications for the potential use of the PIC as an unbiased personality measure are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distinguishing contextual performance from task performance for managerial jobs.

The purpose of this study was to extend previous research on the contextual and task performance distinction to managerial jobs. It was hypothesized that, unlike results for nonmanagerial work, the job dedication facet of contextual performance would contribute uniquely to overall managerial performance. The interpersonal facilitation facet of contextual performance was expected to be redundant with leadership task performance and therefore not to make a unique contribution. A multitrait-multirater correlation matrix was developed on the basis of meta-analysis. Structural equation modeling results generally supported the hypotheses, although there was some evidence of a unique contribution by interpersonal facilitation. Results also suggested that peers paid more attention to interpersonal facilitation when making overall performance ratings, whereas supervisors paid more attention to task performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Context effects in performance appraisal: A methodological critique and empirical study.

The standard design used in research on assimilation and contrast effects in performance appraisal suffers from methodological flaws that preclude unambiguous interpretation of experimental results. This standard design is compared with two other designs that provide more appropriate tests of context effects (D. A. Kravitz and W. K. Balzer, 1990). 123 undergraduates rated a videotaped lecture of average quality after rating (1) 2 videotapes depicting good lectures, (2) 2 videotapes depicting poor lectures, or (3) no other videotapes. Half the Ss had rated the target videotape 1 wk earlier. Analyses of the standard design implied contrast effects. Analyses of the alternative designs revealed problems with the positive context manipulation, assimilation effects in the positive context, contrast effects in the negative context, and pretest effects. It is recommended that the standard design not be used. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A meta-analysis of ratee race effects in performance ratings.

Conducted a meta-analysis of how the race of the ratee affects performance ratings by examining 74 studies with a total sample of 17,159 ratees for White raters and 14 studies with 2,428 ratees for Black raters. The 5 moderators examined were the study setting, rater training, type of rating, rating purpose, and the racial composition of the work group. Results show that the corrected mean correlations between ratee race and ratings for White and Black raters were .183 and –.220, with 95% confidence intervals that excluded zero for both rater groups. Substantial moderating effects were found for study setting and for the saliency of Blacks in the sample. Race effects were more likely in field settings when Blacks composed a small percentage of the work force. Both Black and White raters gave significantly higher ratings to members of their own race. It is suggested that future research should focus on understanding the process underlying race effects. References for the studies included are appended. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Study of race effects in objective indices and subjective evaluations of performance: A meta-analysis of performance criteria.

Used meta-analytic techniques to examine the race effect for objective measures of performance and to compare the relative effect sizes for objective indices and subjective ratings. 53 samples from both published and unpublished studies were located that included at least 1 objective index of actual performance, absenteeism, or cognitive test performance and 1 subjective measure of performance for the same group of Black and White employees. Ss were firefighters, police officers, bank tellers, skilled technicians, production workers, nurses, or clerical workers. The corrected average effect sizes across the 53 samples were low but similar for the objective ad subjective criteria. Moderating effects for the objective criteria were found, as race effects were much higher for cognitive than for performance criteria. Subjective ratings had a lower effect size than objective cognitive test scores but were higher than comparable objective performance indices. Implications for personnel research practices are discussed, and the need for a better understanding of the constructs underlying criterion measures is emphasized. (61 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of purpose of appraisal and individual differences in stereotypes of women on sex differences in performance ratings: A laboratory and field study.

We investigated the effects of purpose of appraisal and individual differences in stereotypes of women on the evaluations of male and female ratees in two studies. In Study 1, 52 female and 51 male undergraduate students with traditional or nontraditional stereotypes of women evaluated written vignettes of either male or female ratees. Raters were informed that their evaluations would be used for scale development (experimental purposes) or for merit pay and promotion decisions (administrative decisions). Analyses revealed that female ratees were evaluated less accurately by raters with traditional stereotypes of women than by raters with nontraditional stereotypes of women. Such differences occurred, however, only when appraisals were made for administrative decisions. In Study 2, 810 raters with traditional or nontraditional stereotypes of women evaluated the teaching effectiveness of eight male and six female professors. Analyses indicated that women were evaluated more favorably by raters with nontraditional stereotypes of women than by raters with traditional stereotypes of women. Implications of the findings for sex differences in appraisal, future research, and organizational effectiveness are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An investigation of race and sex similarity effects in interviews: A multilevel approach to relational demography.

This research studied the effects of race and sex similarity on ratings in one-on-one highly structured college recruiting interviews (N = 708 interviewers and 12,203 applicants for 7 different job families). A series of hierarchical linear models provided no evidence for similarity effects, although the commonly used D-score and analysis-of-variance-based interaction approaches conducted at the individual level of analysis yielded different results. The disparate results demonstrate the importance of attending to nested data structures and levels of analysis issues more broadly. Practically, the results suggest that organizations using carefully administered highly structured interviews may not need to be concerned about bias due to the mismatch between interviewer and applicant race or sex. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple uses of performance appraisal: Prevalence and correlates.

Performance appraisal is used in organizations for a variety of purposes. However, little empirical research has been conducted to determine (a) the extent to which performance appraisal is used for each of several purposes in industry, (b) the extent to which appraisal data may be used for multiple and possibly conflicting uses within the same organization, and (c) organizational correlates of these uses. A survey questionnaire designed to answer these questions was mailed to 243 members of Division 14 of the American Psychological Association who were employed in industry. A factor analysis of the 106 completed questionnaires indicated four general uses of information from performance appraisals. The use of performance appraisal to simultaneously make distinctions between and within individuals is common. Canonical correlation analyses indicated that organizational characteristics were significantly related to uses of performance appraisal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of model's race and sex on interviewees' self-disclosure.

Assigned 48 White college students, 24 of each sex, to 1 of 8 modeling conditions, which varied for model's race (Black or White), sex, and length of disclosure (20 or 60 sec). Ss were exposed to a videotape of a model who disclosed on 10 topics (half favorable and half unfavorable); then they responded to the same 10 topics. Ss' depth of disclosure, speech duration, and number of self-references were not related to model's race, length of disclosure, or to their scores on the Self-Disclosure Questionnaire. However, Ss disclosed at greater depths and for longer durations after observing models of the same sex. Significant negative correlations were found between self-disclosure scores and the Ss' ratings of the importance of a counselor's sex, age, and socioeconomic status for the counseling process. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Halo and performance appraisal research: A critical examination.

The different conceptual and operational definitions of halo are reviewed, and problems when using halo as a dependent measure in performance rating research and practice are pointed out. Four major points are emphasized: (1) There is no agreed on conceptual definition of halo; (2) the different conceptual definitions of halo are not systematically related to different operational definitions (i.e., measures) of halo; (3) halo measures may be poor indexes of rating quality in that different halo measures are not strongly interrelated and halo measures are not related to measures of rating validity or accuracy; and (4) although halo may be a poor measure of rating quality, it may or may not be an important measure of the rating process. The utility of assessing halo to determine the psychometric quality of rating data is questioned. Halo may be more appropriately used as a measure to study cognitive processing, rather than as a measure of performance rating outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sociometric differences between learning-disabled and nonhandicapped students: Effects of sex and race.

The relation of sex and race to learning-disabled (LD) children's popularity and rejection by peers was investigated by comparing the number of positive and negative peer nominations received by 76 LD and 669 nonhandicapped (NH) White and Black children in Grades 3 through 5. Results indicated less popularity and greater rejection for LD students. Furthermore, a Group?×?Sex?×?Race interaction for negative nominations was found, indicating that White LD girls were most disliked of the LD group. It was suggested that greater dislike of White LD girls may be due to discrepancies between the achievement of LD children and their same-sex, same-race peers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dose of hemodialysis and survival: differences by race and sex

CONTEXT: Although blacks receive lower doses of hemodialysis than whites, their survival when receiving dialysis treatment is better than that for whites. Previous studies of the relationship between the dose of dialysis and patient survival have not controlled for differences in patient characteristics. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of mortality with the dose of hemodialysis for clusters of patients categorized by race and sex. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of laboratory data and mortality outcomes from 1994, using a national database of hemodialysis patients. PATIENTS: A total of 18144 black and white patients receiving hemodialysis 3 times weekly who either lived the entire year receiving hemodialysis or died. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The fractional reduction of urea in a single dialysis session as the measured hemodialysis dose (urea reduction ratio [URR]) after controlling for race, sex, age, and diabetes mellitus. Mortality was determined by strata of URRs and albumin and creatinine levels. RESULTS: Across all age categories, blacks had lower URRs than whites, and men had lower URRs than women. In an age-adjusted model for evaluating interactions among URRs, race, sex, and diabetes, the association of URR with mortality risk was weak among blacks, particularly black men. After adjustment for age and diabetes, death probability curves were most steep for white women with URR values less than 60%. The death probability curves were least steep for black men. There was no meaningful difference between death probability and albumin or creatinine concentration among the race by sex clusters. CONCLUSION: Using URR, the usual measure of hemodialysis dose, the assumption that the association between dialysis dose and survival is uniform across demographic groups appears incorrect. Comparisons of the quality of dialysis patient care should not rely on URR alone to predict patient survival.     

Delay and distortion: Tacit influences on performance appraisal effectiveness.

A laboratory study of performance appraisal delay and distortion (a) investigated the effects of rater gender, performance level, and feedback requirement, and (b) defined feedback delay as the separate components of appraisal delay and feedback session scheduling delay. Subjects were 64 university business students who had at least 6 months of supervisory experience. Female raters delayed longer when conducting performance appraisals and when scheduling feedback sessions with subordinates, and more positively distorted ratings than did male raters. Moderately low performers were evaluated and scheduled for feedback sessions later, and were evaluated with more positive distortion than were moderately high performers. When required to provide feedback, raters delayed longer appraising performance and distorted ratings more positively. Significant interactions suggest that when feedback is required, female raters may delay appraisals, delay scheduling feedback sessions, and more positively distort their ratings of performance, particularly when rating low performers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer and subordinate performance appraisal measurement equivalence.

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory (IRT) were applied to determine the extent to which peer and subordinate ratings of managers on a teambuilding skill dimension are directly comparable. Simultaneous CFA in the 2 groups of raters suggested that the 2 sets of ratings are calibrated equivalently, and polytomous IRT methods led to similar conclusions. The results were replicated in independent samples of raters. These are encouraging results for practitioners or researchers who compare ratings from these 2 groups. In addition to presenting the empirical findings from the study and illustrating how CFA and IRT methods of testing measurement equivalence compare, the article shows the unique types of information about performance appraisals that IRT and CFA can provide to researchers and practitioners, with implications for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity and fairness of physical ability tests for predicting performance in craft jobs.

Problems relating to performance, accidents, and turnover in outdoor telephone craft jobs stimulated 2 experiments aimed at developing and validating a physical test battery. Based on job analysis results, a battery of 9 measures was administered to a sample of 128 Ss (83 males and 45 females) in Exp I. A 2-test battery (dynamic arm strength and reaction time), valid for predicting job task performance and turnover, was selected. Regression equations for males and females were not significantly different. Exp II included a sample of 210 Ss (132 males and 78 females). A 3-test battery consisting of a body density measure, a balance test, and a static strength test was selected based on relationships with training performance. No significant differences were found in the regression equations for males compared to females. The Exp II battery was also significantly related to field performance, training completion, and accidents and was valid for the Exp I criteria. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurement and assessment issues in performance appraisal.

Performance appraisal is a topic that is of both theoretical interest and practical importance. As such, it is one of the most researched topics in industrial and organisational psychology. Several measurement issues are central to performance appraisal including: (a) how performance has been measured, (b) how to improve performance appraisal ratings, (c) what is meant by performance, and (d) how the quality of ratings has been defined. Each of these are discussed along with the shortcomings of the extant literature in helping to come to grips with these important issues. Next, some of the new challenges facing performance appraisal, given its historical focus on single individuals being evaluated, are highlighted. In particular, the appraisal problems inherent in the assessment of team performance and the complexities inherent in multisource feedback systems are covered. We conclude with a short discussion of the litigious issues that can arise as a result of poor performance management practises. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)