Psychology Commons^™

On A First Name Basis: Effects Of African American Sounding First Names On The Hiring Decision, Shayna Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A controlled experiment contributes to our understanding of the hiring disparity by examining the effect of applicant race and type of applicant first name on hiring decisions. Two- hundred and five participants acted as mock hiring managers and reviewed an application and resume, completed an evaluation of the applicant’s job related characteristics, and made hiring and starting salary recommendations. Measures for stereotype and race activation were also included. Neither applicant race nor applicant name type affected participants’ ratings of job related characteristics such as perceived motivation, intellectual ability, ability to work well with others, and potential in the field. Results …