THE EFFECT OF NON-NATIVE ACCENTS ON THE EVALUATION OF APPLICANTS DURING AN EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PATH MODEL

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Description

As the workplace becomes increasingly global, organizations are more likely to employ persons from other countries whose accents clearly identify them as different from the local workforce. Understanding the impact of accents in the workplace is important because accents can be salient in the... Show moreAs the workplace becomes increasingly global, organizations are more likely to employ persons from other countries whose accents clearly identify them as different from the local workforce. Understanding the impact of accents in the workplace is important because accents can be salient in the same way as ethnicity, age, gender, and skin color and may be a source of employment discrimination. The present study looked at the influence of accents on the evaluation of job applicants during an interview for a human resource manager position. In addition, a path model was developed to understand the accent condition-hiring recommendation relationship. Participants were asked to evaluate an applicant with one of three accents (Midwestern, French, Mexican) at two understandability levels (low and high) by listening to an audiofile. The results showed that the applicant with the Midwestern accent was seen as more hireable than the applicant with the French-low understandability accent but contrary to expectations the applicant with the Mexican accent (low or high level of understandability) was not perceived as significantly less hireable than the French applicant. The path model indicated that the accent condition-hiring recommendation relationship was mediated by similarity, interpersonal attraction and understandability.
Ph.D. in Psychology, May 2012 Show less

Details
Department

PSYCH / Institute of Psychology

Title

THE EFFECT OF NON-NATIVE ACCENTS ON THE EVALUATION OF APPLICANTS DURING AN EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PATH MODEL

Institution

Illinois Institute of Technology

Creator(s)

Deprez-sims, Anne-sophie

Advisor(s)

Morris, Scott

Date

2012-04-23
2012-05

Description

As the workplace becomes increasingly global, organizations are more likely to employ persons from other countries whose accents clearly identify them as different from the local workforce.... Show moreAs the workplace becomes increasingly global, organizations are more likely to employ persons from other countries whose accents clearly identify them as different from the local workforce. Understanding the impact of accents in the workplace is important because accents can be salient in the same way as ethnicity, age, gender, and skin color and may be a source of employment discrimination. The present study looked at the influence of accents on the evaluation of job applicants during an interview for a human resource manager position. In addition, a path model was developed to understand the accent condition-hiring recommendation relationship. Participants were asked to evaluate an applicant with one of three accents (Midwestern, French, Mexican) at two understandability levels (low and high) by listening to an audiofile. The results showed that the applicant with the Midwestern accent was seen as more hireable than the applicant with the French-low understandability accent but contrary to expectations the applicant with the Mexican accent (low or high level of understandability) was not perceived as significantly less hireable than the French applicant. The path model indicated that the accent condition-hiring recommendation relationship was mediated by similarity, interpersonal attraction and understandability. Show less

Type

Dissertation

File type

application/pdf

Access

Restricted Access

Rights

In Copyright
http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/

Identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10560/2879

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