Evolutionary studies in personnel psychology
Year: 2004
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Using an evolutionary perspective, we looked at sex differences in the influence of facial attractiveness of applicants in hiring decisions, and determined whether expected contact intensity with applicants and experience in personnel selection influenced these preferences. Students and professionals selected mock applicants who varied on attractiveness for jobs that differed on expected contact intensity. We found effects of evolved preferences regarding mate selection and intrasexual competition when the expected contact intensity was high. People showed a preference for attractive opposite-sex applicants (mate selection). Furthermore, women preferred female applicants with low attractiveness over female applicants with high attractiveness (intrasexual competition). We found no salient differences between professionals and students. he heuristic ‘what is beautiful is good’ permeates our cognitions. Attractive people are considered to be more competent (Jackson, Hunter, & Hodge, 1995), especially socially competent (Eagly, Ashmore, Makhijani, & Longo, 1991), and they are judged more positively (Langlois et al., 2000). A large body of evidence shows that due to this “attractiveness heuristic” attractive applicants do have an advantage in hiring decisions (Cesare, 1996; Chiu & Babcock, 2002; see Marlowe, Schneider, & Nelson, 1996), although the relation between attractiveness and competence in reality seems to be small (Langlois et al., 2000; Zebrowitz, Hall, Murphy, & Rhodes, 2002). Moreover, professionals are as susceptible to attractiveness bias as non-professionals are (Cesare, 1996; Gilmore, Beehr, & Love, 1986; Hosoda, Stone-Romero, & Coats, 2003; Marlowe, Schneider, & Nelson, 1996; Olian, Schwab, & Haberfeld, 1988). From the point of view of decision theory, attractiveness should only be a criterion in personnel selection when attractiveness has a presumed or observed influence on job success. For some high social contact jobs attractiveness might be important, but for most other jobs attractiveness will not add to job success; yet, highly attractive applicants (particularly highly attractive women) are often preferred. In our view the preference begs for a theoretical explanation. Moreover, the effects of the interaction of sex of applicants and sex of assessors with attractiveness of applicants in selection have not yet been systematically examined. Cesare (1996) found more bias against non-attractive women than against non-attractive men. Hosada et al. (2003) 2 This chapter is based on: Luxen, M.F., & Van de Vijver, F. J.R. (accepted for publication in the Journal of Organizational Behavior). Facial Attractiveness, Sexual Selection, and Personnel Selection: When Evolved Preferences Matter. T
Author: Marc F. Luxen
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2161605896