Field Experiments: Correspondence Studies

Abstract

This chapter reviews the existing field experimentation literature on the prevalence of discrimination, the consequences of such discrimination, and possible approaches to undermine it. We highlight key gaps in the literature and ripe opportunities for future field work. Section “Measuring Discrimination in the Field” reviews the various experimental methods that have been employed to measure the prevalence of discrimination, most notably audit and correspondence studies; it also describes several other measurement tools commonly used in lab-based work that deserve greater consideration in field research. Section “Consequences of Discrimination” provides an overview of literature on the costs of being stereotyped or discriminated against, with a focus on self-expectancy effects and self-fulfilling prophecies; section “Consequences of Discrimination” also discusses the thin field-based literature on the consequences of limited diversity in organizations and groups. The final section of the chapter, section “What Affects Discrimination?,” reviews evidence for policies and interventions aimed at weakening discrimination, covering role model and intergroup contact effects, as well as socio-cognitive and technological de-biasing strategies.