1,721,007 research outputs found
Male Allies and Gender Equity: Exploring the Explanatory Mechanisms
Get PDFThis research examines three potential theories that might explain why men respond more favorably to men (than women) who advocate for women’s equal rights: Attributional Analysis of Persuasion (Petty, Fleming, Priester, & Feinstein, 2001; Priester & Petty, 1995), Status Characteristics (Berger, Cohen, & Zelditch, 1972; Ridgeway & Berger, 1986; Wagner & Berger, 1997), and Social Norm theories (Cialdini, Kallgren, & Reno, 1991). Using an experimental approach, 267 male participants read an article calling for gender equity written by either a male or female author and then indicated their a) attitudes towards women, b) attitudes towards the article, and c) behavioral intentions to act in gender equitable ways. To test potential mediating mechanisms, participants also indicated the extent to which they perceived the author had self-interest, the author had high status, the extant social norms, and their surprise at the author’s position. Consistent with our own past findings, the results showed that men (compared to women) were more influential when talking to other men about gender equity. More specifically, male participants indicated more gender equitable attitudes and more favorable attitudes about male (versus female) allies. No support, however, was shown for men expressing intentions to act in more gender equitable ways after interacting with a male versus female ally. The different article strategies did not show statistically significant differences; however, a pattern of results provide direction for future research. Surprise and lack of perceived self-interest both approached statistical significance as mediating mechanisms explaining the impact of the author of the gender on men’s attitudes toward gender equity and ratings of author favorability. That is, when men wrote articles about gender equity, other men viewed the author as less self-interested and more surprised by the author’s position, leading them to be more persuaded by the article to support gender equity. This explanation is most in line with the Attributional Analysis of Persuasion explanation or that of the unexpected communicator. Results are discussed in terms of needed future directions and implications for the display of ally behaviors
Managers' distribution of developmental experiences in the workplace
No full textThe current research investigates the amount and quality of the developmental work experiences engaged in by male and female managers. Managers reported the extent to which they had participated in ten quantitative work experiences in the last five years, as well as how challenging these experiences were and how much feedback and support they received during these experiences. Results indicated that while male and female managers do report participating in similar amounts of developmental experiences, male managers report engaging in more qualitatively challenging experiences than female managers. This finding suggests there may be subtle differences in the distribution of developmental work experiences. Further exploratory analyses indicate that female managers report having more supervisor influence in the choice of their developmental work experiences than do male managers, and receive less negative feedback than do male managers. Theoretical and practical considerations of these findings will be addressed
Allies as Intermediaries: Strategies that Promote Hiring People with Intellectual Disabilities
No full textThe current study explores the research-based stereotypes that exist toward individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). Individuals with ID typically have significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, but many still have the ability to perform well in a variety of entry-level, low-skilled positions. Further, they are a growing proportion of the adult population with disabilities but have among the lowest employment rate. The current research focuses on the influence that allies can have on hiring managers when they consider individuals with ID for entry-level job positions. Using the Stereotype-Content Model (SCM; Fiske, Cuddy, Glick, & Xu, 2002) and theories regarding economic and normative language (Sonenshein, 2006), three ally strategies (stereotype reduction, making the business case, and making the moral case, respectively) are tested for their effectiveness. Results reveal that allies who use the moral case are particularly effective (relative to other strategies) in influencing ratings of hiring intentions and admiration. Results further reveal that perceptions of admiration partially mediate this relationship for the moral condition. The current field study extends previous research on target strategies by showing that remediation strategies can be effective when allies use them during selection. Additionally, this research illuminates the critical power that others can have in helping those with ID contribute effectively to the workplace
Problems of the Past? Temporal Distance from the Civil Rights Movement Undermines Majority Group Support for Workplace Diversity Policies
No full textResistance to policies aimed at reducing racial inequities in employment, particularly among demographic majority group members, represents a significant barrier to addressing racism in the workplace. Americans are divided on how much progress has been made toward racial equity since the Civil Rights Era and what should be done to further it. These divides often fall along racial lines, such that White Americans overestimate the amount of racial progress achieved in recent decades, relative to both reality and the perceptions of Black Americans. The current work investigates how beliefs that racial inequities in employment are primarily a problem of the distant, rather than more recent, past undermine majority group members’ support for workplace DEI policies. Bridging insights from construal-level theory and social identity theory, White Americans may be especially likely to distance themselves from past moments of racial reckoning—specifically, the Civil Rights Movement—because these events highlight intergroup transgressions committed by in-group members. Results from two studies (an online survey and an experiment) suggest that White Americans subjectively perceive the Civil Rights Movement as farther in the past than Black Americans. Further, among White respondents, greater temporal distance from the Civil Rights Movement indirectly affects support for diversity policies by facilitating overly optimistic perceptions of how much racial progress has been achieved since the Civil Rights Movement. The findings advance research on the cognitive underpinnings of majority group members’ attitudes toward diversity policies by highlighting the critical role of subjective temporality in racial attitudes. Together, these studies offer a novel lens for understanding majority group resistance to organizational diversity policy
The Impact of Trainer and Trainee Race on Diversity Training Outcomes: Are the Differences Black and White?
No full textThe efficacy of diversity training is one of the most debated topics in organizational psychology. On one hand, some scholars suggest that diversity training has limited impact and is not generally effective at leading to behavioral or workplace changes (Dobbin & Kalev, 2018; Forscher et al., 2019). On the other hand, other scholars conclude diversity training can be quite successful under the right circumstances (Bezrukova et al., 2016; Kalinoski et al., 2013). There seems to be universal agreement in the literature, however, that more empirical research on this topic is needed. The current study serves this purpose by focusing on one often overlooked aspect of diversity training – trainer characteristics. Given that training is often delivered online (a trend that is particularly on the rise with the historic COVID-19 pandemic-related transition to remote meetings) and several trainers often appear within a training module, this dissertation tests the impact that various race combinations of two trainers could have on trainees’ diversity training-related reactions, learning, and transfer of training, specifically through perceptions of legitimacy and psychological safety. As predicted, trainer race was significantly associated with perceptions of legitimacy; that is, mixed-race trainer pairs were perceived as higher in legitimacy than White-trainer pairs. There was also partial support for the indirect and conditional indirect effects of legitimacy, psychological safety, and trainee race on the relationship between trainer race and diversity training outcomes but only under certain conditions. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are discussed
Effects of Diversity, Ideology, and Economic Threat on "Anti-White" Discrimination Claims
Get PDFResearch suggests that white people respond to increased racial diversity with heightened concerns about their social status and anti-white discrimination, particularly among those who endorse conservative beliefs and live in areas with high white unemployment. However, research has not yet assessed whether these variables similarly predict formal anti-white discrimination claiming behavior. Drawing from integrated threat theory (Stephan & Stephan, 2000) and social ecology theory (Oishi & Graham, 2010), I explore how three factors influence the prevalence of formal anti-white discrimination claims at the U.S. county level. I test (1) whether there is a positive relationship between racial diversity and anti-white discrimination claim prevalence, (2) whether the positive effect of racial diversity on claim prevalence is stronger in more conservative (versus less conservative) counties, and (3) whether high levels of white unemployment exacerbate the effects of racial diversity and conservatism on claim prevalence. I combine a geocoded dataset of employment discrimination claims filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission with county-level data on racial diversity, white unemployment rates, and conservatism. Results reveal the expected positive relationship between county-level racial diversity and the proportion of claims filed for anti-white discrimination, and further show that this positive effect is significantly stronger in counties with higher conservatism than those with lower conservatism. The magnifying effect of conservatism on the relationship between racial diversity and claim prevalence is also stronger amid higher levels of white unemployment. This study provides the first large-scale support for the hypothesis that conservatism and material threat amplify the association between racial diversity and white people’s tendency to engage in status-legitimizing behavior
The effects of manifest ethnic identification on applicant discrimination
No full textIn this field experiment, Black, Hispanic, Arab, Asian, and Irish individuals applied for retail jobs with or without visible display of their ethnic identification. Applicants followed a standardized script in which they were blind to condition. Indicators of formal discrimination and interpersonal discrimination were analyzed in interactions with White, Black, and Hispanic store personnel. Contrary to hypotheses, we found that when interacting with store personnel of different races, the display of ethnic identification resulted in greater positivity and longer interactions when applicants' ethnic identification was displayed than when no ethnic identification was displayed. In contrast, for Black and Hispanic applicants, when interacting with store personnel of the same race, the display of ethnic identification resulted in lesser positivity. Implications for recruiting and selection are discussed
The Effects of Interpersonal Discrimination on Older Adults’ Pill Sorting Task Performance and Interactions
No full textPrevious research has shown that negative stereotypes against older adults exist and lead to discrimination across a wide variety of contexts. The current study examined the effects of discrimination on health-related task performance on a pill sorting task. A sample of 63 older adults interacted with a confederate who either behaved with interpersonal discrimination or neutrality. Participants reported their psychological state at three timepoints. They completed health-related tasks. Lastly, they evaluated the confederate and their intentions to return for future interactions. Contrary to hypotheses, participants in the discrimination condition performed better than participants in the control condition on a pill sorting task. This was not mediated by their psychological state. Participants evaluated the confederate in the discrimination condition more negatively than in the control condition. There are implications for the effects of discrimination on health-related outcomes, including task performance, subjective experience, and engagement
Promoting First-Generation Latino Success through Parental Pro-Educational Interventions: A Longitudinal Study
No full textLatinos comprise the fastest growing minority group and are expected to comprise the largest contribution (75%) to the U.S. workforce growth between 2020 and 2034 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). In particular, Latino job seekers are anticipated to fill many of the absences that will emerge as the baby boomers retire at unprecedented rates. The expectancy-value theory (Eccles, 2009), social role theory (Eagly, 1987) and lack-of-fit model (Heilman, 1983) provide theoretical explanations for several social and structural barriers facing Latino parents’ decision to encourage their children’s post-secondary education. The current study explores four barriers that limit Latino parents’ attitudes and behaviors toward their children’s higher educational attainment: a) a belief that familism is contrary to seeking higher education, b) lack of knowledge about college and the application process, c) inaccurate perceptions of social networks in higher education, and d) a lack of awareness of Latino role models, particularly those who have college degrees. In a longitudinal experimental study, we examined the impact that educating parents about one of these four constraints have on their follow-up attitudes and behaviors. Time 1 of the study employed the interventions that were conducted in the greater Houston-area and in which brochures were provided to parents. Time 2 and Time 3, the focus of this master’s thesis, focused on documenting the potential longer-term impact and behavioral ramifications that might result from the initial presentations. Results revealed support for effective strategies that, in term, increased the behavioral engagement of parents for post-secondary education attainment. The most effective strategy was the process knowledge intervention. In addition, these interventions enhanced parents’ supportive knowledge and leadership knowledge from Time 1 to Time 2. Implications and future research are discussed
Child care disruptions and working mothers: An experience sampling method approach
No full textWithin the last three decades the number of single-parent and dual career families in this country have nearly doubled resulting in a steady increase in the demand for high-quality, safe child care to replace the care once traditionally provided by stay-at-home parents. Unfortunately, the supply of quality child care has not kept pace with the increasing demand, leaving parents to struggle with the stress of lower-than-desirable child care and the disruptions that occur when there is a failure in such arrangements (Kahn & Kamerman, 1987; Miller, 1990). An important implication of this struggle is the effect that it has on parents' ability to cope and function effectively at work. Past research on the interference of child care problems at work has been sparse and required parents to provide retrospective reports. The current study used an Experience Sampling Method (ESM) approach to examine the day-to-day experiences of working mothers with children in child care. Participants responded to questionnaires four times per day during work using a hand-held computer and recorded disruptions from caregiving responsibilities, psychological outcomes, and self-reported work outcomes. Results indicated that mothers experienced a considerable number of child care disruptions, which were related to more negative work outcomes, including decreased productivity and concentration; and more negative psychological outcomes, including increased stress levels and work-family conflict. Participants reported significantly more disruptions during daily recordings than by retrospective reporting of disruptions during the previous year, indicating that ESM may be capturing aspects of child care disruptions not encapsulated in previous retrospective studies. Several significant moderators of the relationship between child care disruptions and psychological outcomes were found, including individual differences, such as neuroticism, family involvement, and parent-child relationship closeness; and social support, including spousal support and supervisor support. However, no significant moderators of the relationship between child care disruptions and work outcomes were found
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