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Method
This study was conducted in order to find out if
attraction plays a role in employment. We wanted to find out if more attractive
people were more likely to be hired than less attractive people. Participants
were given one of four résumés for a teaching position. They then had to
respond to a short questionnaire to determine how qualified they feel the
individual was.
Participants
We used approximately 70-80 parents of senior Rowland Hall-Saint Mark’s
students. They were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. We obtained
subjects by giving the survey to students who had to return it after two days as
a homework assignment.
Materials
Each
subject received a packet containing a letter with instructions for
participation in the study (see Appendix A). This letter explained the general
nature of the study and thanks the
subject for their participation. The packet also contained a résumé for a
teaching position. Attached to each
résumé was one of four photographs. There were two women and two men (see
Appendices B-E). The last item in
the packet was a questionnaire relating to the résumé (see Appendix F).
The
résumé was purposely created to be very general so that it would apply to
either a male or a female. It
indicated the desired position (Secondary School History Teacher).
It included educational
background, past work experience, and other interests (see Appendices B-E).
A photograph was attached to each resume and there were four possible
photographs; an attractive man, an attractive woman, a less attractive man and a
less attractive woman. The resumes were identical with the exception of the
attached photo. A questionnaire was also included in the packet of materials. It
first asked subjects to declare whether they were male or female. It then asked
about how qualified the candidate was overall, and then asked more specific
questions about how qualified the candidate was in terms of education and past
work experience. Responses were indicated on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being
"very unqualified" and 10 being "very qualified". The last
question asked if the subject would hire the candidate for the indicated
position (see Appendix F).
Procedure
Students
in Advanced Placement Psychology were given packets
to give to their parents in January 2003. Parents
were randomly assigned to one of four conditions.
They received a résumé for an attractive man, a less attractive man, an
attractive woman, or a less attractive woman. Diane Guido indicated that the
survey was a homework assignment and would be graded as such.
Students and parents did not know that the study was about attraction as
a factor in employment. Instead, they were led to believe that this was merely a
study about job qualifications. Students
had two days to return the packets after they were handed out in their
Psychology class.
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