AN INTEGRATION THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF EXPECTED JOB ATTRACTIVENESS AND SATISFACTION*

Abstract

Two experiments were performed to study judgment about jobs, using the method of information integration theory. Prospective job seekers rated hypothetical job descriptions according to (a) how much they would like to accept the job, and (b) how satisfied they would feel with the job of that kind. Job descriptions were constructed using two kinds of information: Context (e.g., pay, working conditions) and Content (e.g., achievement, work itself) in a two‐factor design. Judgments of liking and expected satisfaction ratings both showed near‐parallelism, though a small nonadditive component was also present. The averaging model was able to account for both the additive and nonadditive patterns, whereas the adding rule and the multiplying rule could not. A practical implication of the averaging rule is that adding a minor fringe benefit, positive in itself, may actually decrease job satisfaction and attraction.