Fictitious Candidates Research Articles

A poisoned gift? The hireability signals of an income-support program for the senior unemployed

Abstract Many Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries invest heavily in labor-market programs to prolong careers. Although active labor-market programs have frequently been evaluated, less is known about passive programs supporting unemployed seniors financially. We focus on the latter by investigating the hiring opportunities of candidates who partake in a regime that ensures dismissed seniors a company supplement alongside regular unemployment benefits. Therefore, we conduct a scenario experiment in which genuine recruiters evaluate fictitious candidates who have spent varying durations unemployed in regimes with and without the company supplement. Because recruiters evaluate candidates' hireability and productivity perceptions, we can identify underlying mechanisms. Overall, we find no evidence of employer-side stigma hindering the re-employment of seniors unemployed in the program. Conversely, longer-term unemployed even benefit from this regime because it mitigates regular stigmatization of long-term unemployment, especially for men. Specifically, recruiters judge them more mildly – particularly regarding flexibility – when they receive the supplement and still apply.

Who gets the grant? A persona-based investigation into research funding panelist preferences

Abstract The allocation of scientific funding through grant programs is crucial for research advancement. While independent peer panels typically handle evaluations, their decisions can lean on personal preferences that go beyond the stated criteria, leading to inconsistencies and potential biases. Given these concerns, our study employs a novel method, using simulated, data-driven, and narrative personas of fictional candidates, to identify the attributes that significantly influence panelist choices and profile what an optimal candidate would look like. Our findings reveal a preference for mid-career, multidisciplinary researchers with significant publications, citations, and prior project experience. Such optimal candidates also lean toward applied science, collaborative research, interactions with both industry and the public, and a progressive stance on science. Contrary to existing literature, this study found indications of a bias toward female candidates, which we interpret as a result of deliberate correction caused by awareness of existing biases in academia. Age emerged as another influential factor, suggesting either a preference for younger researchers or a perception of waning productivity among seasoned academics. Consistency in a candidate’s profile, rather than standout attributes, was also favored by panelists.

Designing Assessment Reports: How Proper Score Descriptions Can Improve Selection Decisions

This paper explores, through a quasi-experimental design, different ways of building employee assessment reports to determine which elements would lead to more efficient selection decisions. Two types of reports were built: (a) reports containing descriptions of the minimum and maximum scores (i.e., 1 vs. 10), and (b) reports containing the description of the exact score recorded by the participant (i.e., any score on a scale of 1 to 10). The efficiency of these report was evaluated in two scenarios: a difficult-decision scenario and an easy-decision scenario. A total of 269 hiring managers participated in a simulated selection decision setting. They were asked to choose the best candidate for a specific position, based on a job description and two personality profiles for two fictitious candidates. They were also asked about their perceived levels of comprehension and satisfaction with the report. The model was statistically significant, χ2(3) = 110, p < .001, R2N = .461. In both the difficult and the easy scenarios, reports containing descriptions of the minimum and maximum scores were more efficient than reports containing descriptions of the exact scores recorded by the participants, and they also led to higher levels of perceived comprehension and satisfaction with the report. The results were influenced by the participants’ familiarity with the used personality questionnaire (the NEO PI-R). This study has both theoretical and practical implications, extending the existing organizational literature by drawing from cognitive psychology, and highlighting the critical role that assessment reports have in the process of organizational selection decisions.

Toward a Better Future for Assessment Reports

Abstract: Conceived as an in vitro experiment, this study explores four ways of designing employee assessment reports to determine which of them is more efficient in selection decisions. Based on feedback, information design, and the educational testing literature, we addressed the design of assessment reports from two different perspectives: the wording (score vs. trait descriptions) and the formatting (bulleted lists vs. paragraphs) of the text. A total of 247 human resources specialists received a job description and two personality profiles and were asked to decide which of the two fictitious candidates is more suitable for the job. The study was a 2 × 2 × 2 design, manipulating the difficulty of the decision, the text wording, and the text formatting. The model was statistically significant, χ 2 (7) = 29.9, p < .001, and explained 16.1% of the variance in the selection decision. In the easy scenario, all types of reports were efficient. In the difficult scenario, reports using score descriptions and paragraphs were more efficient than any of the other three conditions. This study primarily contributes from a practical point of view, showing that different ways of building assessment reports lead to different selection decisions. It also emphasizes the responsibility that organizations and assessment providers have when communicating assessment results to decision-makers.

Mathematical theory of Bayesian statistics for unknown information source.

In statistical inference, uncertainty is unknown and all models are wrong. That is to say, a person who makes a statistical model and a prior distribution is simultaneously aware that both are fictional candidates. To study such cases, statistical measures have been constructed, such as cross validation, information criteria and marginal likelihood; however, their mathematical properties have not yet been completely clarified when statistical models are under- or over-parametrized. We introduce a place of mathematical theory of Bayesian statistics for unknown uncertainty, which clarifies general properties of cross validation, information criteria and marginal likelihood, even if an unknown data-generating process is unrealizable by a model or even if the posterior distribution cannot be approximated by any normal distribution. Hence it gives a helpful standpoint for a person who cannot believe in any specific model and prior. This paper consists of three parts. The first is a new result, whereas the second and third are well-known previous results with new experiments. We show there exists a more precise estimator of the generalization loss than leave-one-out cross validation, there exists a more accurate approximation of marginal likelihood than Bayesian information criterion, and the optimal hyperparameters for generalization loss and marginal likelihood are different. This article is part of the theme issue 'Bayesian inference: challenges, perspectives, and prospects'.

Effects of pro-white identity cues in American political candidate communication

Abstract American politicians have always harnessed the group nature of politics to build political power. Yet it is unclear whether explicit appeals to dominant group identities (e.g., white identity) can help political leaders win support from dominant group members (e.g., white Americans). Four experimental studies (N = 2,279; two pre-registered) used the identity ownership perspective (Kreiss et al., 2020) to examine how a fictional candidates’ support or opposition toward renting city space to dominant group members (e.g., white Music Association) affected white Americans’ evaluations of that candidate. Support for white groups was perceived as prototypical of Republicans, but expressing such support decreased candidates’ favorability. However, findings suggested: (a) decreases were smaller for white Republican (vs. Democrat) participants (Study 2) and (b) candidates faced similar negative evaluations if they communicated opposition to policies favoring white people (Studies 3–4). Results offered some support for candidate prototypicality as a mechanism for these effects.

Crooked Hillary and Sleepy Joe: name-calling’s backfire effect on candidate evaluations

ABSTRACT Throughout his political career Donald Trump has utilized name-calling when referring to his opponents. These pejoratives are a ubiquitous part of political discourse in contemporary society. Scholarly research has yet to examine the effect that this type of incivility has on individuals’ evaluations of both the attacker (i.e. the person using name-calling) and the victim. Our research aims to fill this gap by testing the effect of name-calling through the implementation of a national survey experiment. We test the effect of name-calling on candidate evaluations by randomly inserting a pejorative in front of a fictitious candidate’s name in a news story. Our findings indicate that name-calling often backfires. Respondents who saw the pejorative tend to rate the attacker lower. Our findings also show an odd partisan symmetry in how respondents rate this behavior by their co-partisans, i.e. both Republicans and Democrats punish Democratic candidates that use name-calling but ignore Republicans’ use of it.

The blue of the rainbow: queerness and hiring discrimination in blue-collar occupations

The extant literature and anecdotal evidence suggest that blue-collar workers who are openly queer (an inclusive term for sexual and gender minorities) are among the most marginalized in the labour market. This article reports the results of a correspondence audit of hiring discrimination in entry-level positions in the Canadian blue-collar sector. Creating four fictitious job candidates with welding skills, 2000 applications were sent to openings across Canada. Applications were identical except for gender-specific first names and volunteer activities, which were designed to signal some applicants as queer and others as straight and cisgender. The straight cisgender male received the highest number of callbacks; almost twice as many as the queer male, who was the least favoured among the four candidates. There was no statistically significant difference in callback rates between the two female applicants by queer status.

I believe what I see: Impact of attire and academic degree on evaluation of personality traits of a politician.

The image of a politician primes people to judge his/her personality traits. Voters are looking for such qualities as honesty, intelligence, friendliness, sincerity, and trustworthiness. Most studies, however, concentrate on the evaluation of faces, and only some take into account the candidate's attire. The research included 320 participants between 18 and 78 years. It aimed to assess whether the parliamentary candidate's attire affects voters' evaluation of his personality traits. A description of his program was also presented to determine whether it affected the candidate's evaluation. Participants observed four versions of a fictional candidate's election materials: the candidate dressed in a formal suit or dressed casually and dressed formally or casually but bearing a doctor's degree. We used a self-constructed questionnaire to evaluate selected traits of the candidate's character. The findings revealed that participants believed an individual in casual wear to be more active, attractive, open to people and the world, friendly, honest, and reliable, and only more smart, and effective while dressed formally. Also, the academic degree proved to be of importance. Accordingly, the same person with a doctorate was additionally evaluated as competent, responsible when dressed casually, and responsible when wearing a suit. It confirms the assumption that the informal dress and academic degree are most influential. The program description proved to be of no significance. Our study shows that the way the candidate was dressed affected the evaluation of his personality characteristics. The participants attributed the casually dressed candidate the traits expected from a politician.

Do people want smarter ballots?

We ascertain whether citizens want to have smart ballots, that is, whether they appreciate having the possibility to express some support for more than one option (expression across options) and to indicate different levels of support for these options (expression within options). We conducted two independent yet complementary survey experiments at the time of the Super Tuesday Democratic primaries to examine which voting method citizens prefer, one with the real candidates in the states holding Democratic primaries and one with fictitious candidates in the whole country. In both surveys, respondents were asked to vote using four different voting rules: single, approval, rank, and point (score). After they cast their vote, respondents were asked how satisfied they were using each voting method. The findings are consistent in both studies: the single vote is the most preferred voting method. We show that this is a reflection of a status quo bias, as citizens’ views are strongly correlated with age.

The "Big Two" in Hiring Discrimination: Evidence From a Cross-National Field Experiment.

We tested whether signaling warmth and competence (“Big Two”) in job applications increases hiring chances. Drawing on a field experimental data from five European countries, we analyzed the responses of employers (N = 13,162) to applications from fictitious candidates of different origin: native candidates and candidates of European, Asian, or Middle-Eastern/African descent. We found that competence signals slightly increased invitation rates, while warmth signals had no effect. We also found ethnic discrimination, a female premium, and differences in callbacks depending on job characteristics. Importantly, however, providing stereotype signals did not reduce the level of ethnic discrimination or the female premium. Likewise, we found little evidence for interactions between stereotype signals and job demands. While speaking against the importance of “Big Two” signals in application documents, our results highlight the importance of group membership and hopefully stimulate further research on the role of in particular ethnic stereotypes for discrimination in hiring.

Choosing to vote as usual

In the United States, there is a growing momentum towards ranked choice voting. In this study, we conducted two independent yet complementary surveys to examine which voting system citizens prefer, one with the real candidates in the states holding Super Tuesday Democratic primaries and one with fictitious candidates in the whole country. In both surveys, respondents were invited to vote using four different voting rules – single, approval, rank, and point (score) – and then asked how satisfied they were using each system. In both studies the single vote remains the most preferred voting method. We find that citizens’ views are strongly correlated with age, with the eldest being much more favorable to the single vote. Surprisingly, these views do not vary across education levels. Finally, those who have had personal experience with ranked ballot are more positive towards ranked voting, which suggests the presence of a status quo bias.

Valências na resposta emocional dos eleitores: design experimental com neurociência

This work aims to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the valence of voters’ emotional response to changes in the scenarios in videos of political propaganda. The experiment was conducted in a laboratory with a fictitious candidate and content. We used four different scenarios: one with a completely white background, one simulating a library, one with a popular house, and one with luxury houses. We use the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) as an instrument to measure emotions. We found statistical differences between the intensity of the valences throughout the video (n=108). The work empirically demonstrated that the scenarios can enhance the emotional effects of this type of advertising.

Gender, parenthood, and hiring intentions in sex-typical jobs: Insights from a survey experiment

We ran a survey experiment with Dutch employers to investigate hiring discrimination in sex-typical jobs. We ask if women are especially discriminated against when they have children, whether discrimination applies similarly in different occupations, and whether statistical discrimination or status-characteristic theories best account for discriminatory practices (if any).Employers rate fictitious candidates for either a female-typical job (primary-school teacher) or a male-typical job (software engineer). Employers are found to display a slight preference for female candidates when filling a teacher post, although such bias is less strong for female applicants with children. No such ranking is found for a software engineer vacancy, nor do we find different salary offers across candidates and across vacancies. Employers do not appear to favour men over women for positions likely to be on the career track, as predicted by statistical discrimination theories, nor do they expect women to be less capable than men, as posited by status-characteristic theory. Female candidates with children, however, are expected to be less committed to their job and work fewer hours, especially in the teacher experiment. Such expectations seem to have small consequences for the hiring decisions and salary offers Dutch employers make in our study.

Labour market effects of urban riots: An experimental assessment

AbstractWe measure the effects of urban riots on the labour market prospects of workers in the case of the French riots of 2007. The town of Villiers‐le‐Bel is our treatment unit while two other towns serve as control groups, Sarcelles and Enghien‐les‐Bains. Using the technique of correspondence testing, we are able to discern disparities in call‐back rates for fictitious candidates who respond to actual job postings over four dimensions: gender, ethnic origin, locality of residence (advantaged vs. disadvantaged), and the degree of media exposure during the riots. We implement an empirical approach to measure discrimination across several dimensions that integrates a set of relevant parameters into one unified system of equations. We find statistically significant negative estimates of a media exposure effect. People residing in the area which received negative publicity were 3.2 percentage points less likely to receive a callback. The group of workers who tend to be the most associated with the riots, namely, men of North African origin (at least in terms of perceptions), are the least affected by potential discrimination by region of residence, while women of French origin are the most affected.

Views on aging in selection: HR implications

Purpose It is well-known that stereotypes on aging and perceptions about the suitability of certain jobs for certain age groups can influence performance ratings. However, it is unclear whether and how subjective views on aging are associated with judgment on someone else’s performance. The purpose of this study is to explore the role of aging perceptions and images of aging on performance ratings for a fictitious set of male candidates with different age and job profiles. Ratings of interest were job suitability, developmental potential, interpersonal skills and performance capacity. Design/methodology/approach Using an online survey format, data was collected from 203 Irish and UK employees to assess how they evaluated different fictitious candidates for a local development committee. The age and mentorship status of the candidates were also manipulated. Findings The age or mentoring status of the candidate did not play a significant role in how they were rated. Multiple regression analyses indicated, however, that participants’ aging perceptions and aging images had a significantly positive influence on how they rated the fictitious candidates (after controlling for participant variables such as age and experience). However, positive images of aging and aging perceptions on the part of the participants predicted more positive overall job suitability ratings, developmental potential, interpersonal skills and performance capacity. When the participants had more negative views on aging, they would also allocate lower ratings. Originality/value The results indicate that employee attitudes about aging play a role in how they will rate others. Given the importance of potential rating bias, the authors propose a number of training interventions that human resource professionals may be able to carry out to positively shape the informational basis for more negative aging attitudes.

Labour market discrimination against Moroccan minorities in the Netherlands and Spain: a cross-national and cross-regional comparison

ABSTRACT This paper examines discrimination against job candidates of Moroccan origin in Spain and the Netherlands. By drawing on insights from group threat theory, we specifically examine how latent ethnic conflicts regarding economic goods or cultural values at the regional level affect discrimination rates of Moroccan minorities in both countries. To this aim, we make use of a cross-nationally standardised field experiment with fictitious candidates applying for real job vacancies in Spain and the Netherlands (n = 3681). We find higher levels of discrimination against job applicants of Moroccan origin in the Netherlands. Whereas job candidates of Moroccan origin are six percentage points less likely to receive a positive response from an employer in Spain, the predicted ethnic gap in call-back rates is fourteen percentage points in the Netherlands. Furthermore, while regional differences in discrimination are not related to regional unemployment figures, we do find some evidence that in the Netherlands a larger share of Moroccans in the region exacerbates discrimination against Moroccan minorities. Altogether, the findings point to the need to give greater weight to the impact of widespread negative beliefs about ethnic minorities and how these beliefs can have a profound adverse impact on the integration of disadvantaged ethnic groups within the labour market.

Kuasa, Tubuh, dan Tanda dalam Meme Politik Nurhadi-Aldo

Artikel ini membahas bagaimana kuasa, tubuh hingga ideologi kiri dalam unggahan meme politik Nurhadi-Aldo (NA). Indonesia saat ini menyaksikan kemunculan satu pasang calon presiden fiktif, yakni Nurhadi-Aldo. Pasangan ini muncul di tengah tensi politik yang memanas menjelang pemilihan presiden Indonesia periode 2019-2024. Pasangan fiktif ini menjadi viral dengan berbagai unggahan meme yang cenderung vulgar – berkaitan dengan tubuh, tetapi beberapa unggahannya ikut menyuarakan kritik terhadap kuasa. Nurhadi-Aldo yang kemudian disingkat menjadi ‘Dildo’ menyimbolkan diri sebagai phallus palsu, alias kuasa fiktif. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan semiotika Peirce. Berdasarkan analisis semiotika terhadap sampel meme NA terkait dengan kuasa dan tubuh dapat disimpulkan beberapa hal sebagai berikut: (1) Meme politik mampu menjadi medium aspirasi bagi semua pihak yang ringan, namun efektif dan viral; (2) Meme NA berasal dari dua ikon shitposting sehingga unggahan NA akan selalu meliputi tubuh, ironi, dan absurditas; (3) Shitposting yang cenderung vulgar dan agresif memungkinkan meme NA membawakan topik yang sensitif, khususnya ideologi kiri dan tubuh; (4) Tampilan foto profil NA yang terbalik serta singkatan yang disematkan pada mereka, yakni dildo memiliki peran penting dalam membangun sebuah simbol atas kuasa palsu.

Proximity and directional voting: Testing for the region of acceptability

Although countless articles examined proximity and directional voting, little attention has been paid to a central concept of directional theory – the region of acceptability (ROA) – and very few empirical tests of the concept have been conducted. We remedy this gap and focus in this study on the ROA and the individual nature of the penalty imposed. Relying on original data collected in a survey in Switzerland (N = 2000) and an experimental design manipulating the positions of the fictional candidates, we find clear evidence for the existence of the ROA. Our findings also support the idea that the ROA is an individual-level concept, as variables like political extremism and interest in politics have an influence on the effect of the ROA.

Crime and punishment

PurposeA surprisingly large proportion of the working population of the USA consists of individuals with felony convictions. Moreover, the issue of employability of these individuals is compounded for minorities. This paper aims to present two experimental studies investigating whether minorities with felony backgrounds have a more difficult time being selected for employment than identically situated white applicants. The authors ground the paper in realistic group conflict theory. Results indicate discrimination is more acute against minorities with felony backgrounds than whites with the same background and shed light on the mechanisms leading to this discrimination. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.Design/methodology/approachThis paper involves two experimental studies involving working adults engaging with realistic survey situations using mTurk.FindingsResults of both studies indicate discrimination is more acute against minorities with felony backgrounds than whites with the same background, and shed light on the mechanisms leading to this discrimination.Research limitations/implicationsOne limitation of the methodology is that the authors used fictional candidates and jobs. This may have led to understating the effects of discrimination on minorities because it allowed applicants to answer in socially desirable ways (e.g. absent of racial bias) without suffering any of the anticipated negative consequences of actually hiring individuals about whom they hold negative stereotypes.Practical implicationsThis research has several important implications for practice. First, organizations should be keenly aware of the potential for subtle and unconscious bias to affect the job application process even among well-intentioned hiring managers. Second, as the bias is often triggered by threats, organizations should share with their employees the nature of the threat involved with former felons.Social implicationsOrganizations should deliberately address issues associated with the use of criminal background checks. For many organizations, a felony conviction in an applicant’s background automatically eliminates that person from employment. However, a substantial amount of the workforce now has a felony in their background. Indeed, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2012) has issued guidelines that detail important factors that organizations should consider on a case-by-case basis when considering employment for former felons. Organizations may consider updating any blanket exclusions regarding the hiring of ex-felons – not only because it makes good policy but also because it may help the organization hire the best people.Originality/valueThis research studies an important – and growing – societal problem related to the hiring of convicted felons, and the related issue of racial discrimination that affects black convicted felons particularly hard. There has been very little work in the management area on this topic. Moreover, there has been very little work in all areas that includes experimental methods. The use of such methods is particularly useful to eliminate confounds found in field data.