Automated Decision-Making Aids, Internal Motivation to Respond Without Prejudice, and Discrimination in Hiring

Mikaela Jheanelle Pitcan, Fordham University

Abstract

Disparities in hiring practices based on the ethnicity of candidates, particularly those of Middle Eastern descent, continue to be an issue despite decades of legislative efforts to decrease discrimination, as evidenced by decreased rates of callbacks and discrimination complaints by people with Arabic-sounding names (Bursell, 2007; US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2012). With regard to employers, internal motivation to respond without prejudice has been linked to discriminatory hiring decisions (Ziegert & Hanges, 2005). Meanwhile, using automated hiring decision-making aids (ADAs) has been proposed as a way to combat the influence of prejudice in hiring discrimination with the assumption that ADAs enhance decision-making efficiency and increase objectivity (Christin, Rosenblat, & boyd, 2015; Parasuraman & Manzey, 2010). However, little is known about the influence of ADAs on discriminatory decisions made by employers. This study examined the moderating effect of the presence of an ADA that indicated that a candidate was suitable for a position on the relationship between internal motivation to respond without prejudice and hiring decisions for job candidates with Arabic-sounding names. The findings of this study did not support the hypothesis that ADAs would reduce the likelihood of discrimination against job candidates with Arabic names.

Subject Area

Psychobiology|Management|Information Technology

Recommended Citation

Pitcan, Mikaela Jheanelle, "Automated Decision-Making Aids, Internal Motivation to Respond Without Prejudice, and Discrimination in Hiring" (2019). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI13882964.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI13882964

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