Sponsor
Portland State University. Department of Psychology
Advisor
Donald Truxillo
Date of Award
2010
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.) in Psychology
Department
Psychology
Physical Description
1 online resource (2, 129 pages)
Subjects
Employment tests -- Psychological aspects, Organizational justice, Achievement motivation
DOI
10.15760/etd.5323
Abstract
Recent research has shown that outcome favorability (Ryan & Ployhart, 2000) and perceived performance (Chan, Schmitt, Jennings, Clause, & Delbridge, 1998a) are key determinates of justice judgments, suggesting that self-serving bias is a critical mechanism in the formation of applicant reactions. However, organizational justice theory continues to be the dominant paradigm for understanding applicant reactions. Chan and Schmitt (2004) have suggested a far ranging agenda for research into reactions, which includes considering reactions in a longitudinal framework and considering the natural effect of time on reactions. The current study incorporates these theoretical approaches and addresses these gaps in the research by examining applicant reactions at four time points during and after a selection procedure. This study also uses a multi-dimensional measure of test taking motivation (TTM) based on expectancy theory which enables me to explicate the effect of test performance, expectations, and outcome feedback on each motivational component.
Using a sample of 227 student participants, this study provides evidence that an applicant's expectations regarding the selection outcome and the selection outcome itself have strong effects on fairness perceptions and TTM. Some key findings are the following: I) negative selection decisions and negative expectations tend to reduce fairness perceptions and TTM in applicants, while for the most part, positive expectations and positive selection decisions do little to increase these reactions and 2) valence, or the desire for the job, seems to be the motivational component most affected by the selection procedure. These findings have important implications for future research into applicant reactions.
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/19460
Recommended Citation
Mack, Kyle Garret, "Sour Grapes While You're Down and Out: Self-Serving Bias and Applicant Attributions for Test Performance" (2010). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 3433.
https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/3433
10.15760/etd.5323
Included in
Experimental Analysis of Behavior Commons, Industrial and Organizational Psychology Commons
Description
If you are the rightful copyright holder of this dissertation or thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to pdxscholar@pdx.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL