Problem 6 - Salary appearance Flashcards
(43 cards)
Cable 2004 - effect of physical height on success and income
Aim + type of study
Aim: to propose and test a theoretical model on the effects of height on workplace success and income:
* Propose a model of the height-career success relationship.
* Meta-analysis to test the general implications of the model.
* Conduct 4 new investigations of the relationship between individuals’ height and their personal incomes.
Type of study: meta-analysis
Cable 2004 - effect of physical height on success and income
Theoretical background
- Taller individuals are judged as being more pursuasive, more attractive mates, more likely to emerge as a leader.
- Evolutionary-height = bigger and more dangerous -> more power.
- Positive relationships of height with performance, leader effectiveness, and leader emergence.
Cable 2004 - effect of physical height on success and income
Key concepts
Physical height is examined as a predictor of:
* Social esteem = how others perceive status.
* Self-esteem = how one perceives themselves.
* Job performance = objective and subjective.
* Career success = income, leadership positions.
Cable 2004 - effect of physical height on success and income
Theoretical model of physical height and career success - overview
The model posits:
1. Height -> social esteem
2. Height -> self-esteem
3. Esteem (social/self) -> performance.
4. Performance -> career success.
The model integrates perceptual biases, evolutionary theory, and social psychology.
Cable 2004 - effect of physical height on success and income
Height -> Social esteem
Model’s key constructs and pathways
- Taller individuals are perceived as more powerful, competent, dominant and more persuasive and capable leaders.
- Evluationary wise = height signals strength and power.
Cable 2004 - effect of physical height on success and income
Height -> self-esteem
Model’s key constructs and pathways
- Height affects self-perception via social feedback and cultural metaphors (“look up to someone”).
- High esteem -> higher self-worth and confidence.
- Low height -> may lead to inferiority complex (napoleon complex).
Cable 2004 - effect of physical height on success and income
Esteem -> performance
Model’s key constructs and pathways
- Social and self-esteem improve subjective evaluations (manager ratings) and objective performance (especially in social roles).
- Esteem reinforces motivation, trust, likability, and confidence.
Cable 2004 - effect of physical height on success and income
Performance -> career success
Model’s key constructs and pathways
- Firms reward both objective results and subjective impressions.
- Esteem-boosted performance leads to higher income and leadership roles.
Cable 2004 - effect of physical height on success and income
Meta-analysis results
- Social esteem = strongest link with height.
- Leader emergence = moderate effect.
- Performance = weakest but significant.
- Subjective ratings = stronger than objective.
- Objective outcomes = moderate effect (includes salary, promotions etc.)
- Gender differences = no statistically significant differences.
Cable 2004 - effect of physical height on success and income
Meta-analysis results - hypotheses supported
- H1a = height -> leadership
- H1b = height -> earnings
- H2 = stronger link to proximal (esteem) than distal (performance) outcomes.
- H3 = height -> subjective outcomes > objective outcomes.
Cable 2004 - effect of physical height on success and income
New empirical analyses results
- Height was consistently and significantly related to income in all samples.
- height advantage does not decline over time.
- Works similarly for men and women.
- Not due to intelligence.
- Strongest in social/persuasive jobs: sales, management etc.
Cable 2004 - effect of physical height on success and income
Interpretation
Mechanisms of influence:
* Perceptual biases: taller people are judged as more competent.
* Self-fulfilling prophecies: managers form expectations based on height.
* Social capital: tall individuasl may build trust and influence more easily.
Comparison to other predictors:
* Height’s predictive validity (r=.26) is comparable to conscientiousness in predicting job performance.
Cable 2004 - effect of physical height on success and income
Conclusion
- Yes height significantly impacts workplace success.
- BUT this is largely due to how others perceive taller individuals and how they view themselves.
- Height boosts esteem, performance ratings, and earnings - a bias that operates across genders, occupations, and careers.
Luxen - facial attractiveness, sexual selection and personnel selection
Aim + type of study
Aim: to evaluate selection preferences in regard to attractiveness and sexual selection in both students and professionals.
Type of study: experiemental study.
Luxen - facial attractiveness, sexual selection and personnel selection
Evolutionary foundations
Sexual selection:
* A form of natural selection where individuals develop traits to improve mating success.
* Preferences for facial symmetry, youthfullness, and beauty signal: health, genetic quality, and fertillity.
Gendered preferences:
* Men prioritise youth and beauty = evolutionary markers of fertility.
* Women prioritise status and resources = indicators of investment capacity.
* Intrasexual competition: individuals compete with same-sex rivals for mating opportunities.
Luxen - facial attractiveness, sexual selection and personnel selection
Theoretical application to personnel selection
Although job selection should not involve evolutionary biases, the authors argue that:
* Hiring contexts mirror mate selection scenarios.
* Therefore, evolved preferences still influence decisions.
Luxen - facial attractiveness, sexual selection and personnel selection
Research goals
- Do men prefer attractive women more than women prefer attractive? (mate choice).
- Are women harsher on attractive women than men are on attractive men? (intrasexual competition).
- Does expected contact intensity with applicants moderate these preferences?
- Do HRM professionals (vs students) override evolved preferences?
Luxen - facial attractiveness, sexual selection and personnel selection
Study 1 - undergraduate sample
Task: rate likelihood of hiring applicants based on photo (high/low attractiveness) and gender.
Findings:
* Men strongly preferred attractive women.
* Women rated attractive women lower than unattractive ones (intrasexual competition).
* Both hypotheses confirmed.
Luxen - facial attractiveness, sexual selection and personnel selection
Study 2 - expected contact intensity manipulation
Conditions:
* Low contact: applicant will work in different department.
* High contact: applicant will work closely with the assessor.
Findings:
* Low-contract condition: no evolved preferences observed.
* High-contact condition: same effect as study 1 - preferences triggered by proximity.
* Suggests domain specificity of evolved preferences.
Luxen - facial attractiveness, sexual selection and personnel selection
Study 3 - HRM professionals
Design: same manipulation and task but professionals.
Findings:
* High contract: HR professionals showed the same evolved biases as students (men preferred attractive women and women did not prefer attractive women but unlike students, they did not show significant preference for unattractive women either.
* Low contact: no significant attractiveness effects.
Luxen - facial attractiveness, sexual selection and personnel selection
Key results across all studies
High contact condition (students):
* Men’s preference = attractive women.
* Women’s preference = unattractive women (study 1 and 2).
Low contact condition (students):
* Men’s preference = no significant preference.
* Women’s preference = no significant preference.
High contact condition (HRM):
* Men’s preference = attractive women.
* Women’s preference = lower ratings for women generally.
Low contact (HRM):
* Men’s preference = no significant preference.
* Women’s preference = slight bias against women.
Overall:
* Experience did not override evolved preferences - even professionals were biased when contact was expected.
Luxen - facial attractiveness, sexual selection and personnel selection
Key takeaways and implications
Key takeaways:
* The attractiveness heuristics is deeply ingrained and evolutionarily driven.
* Sex of the assessor, sex of the applicant and expected interaction matter.
* Biases persist in structured and unstructured settings, including among trained professionals.
Practical implication:
* Awareness training may not be enough to remove bias.
* Organisations should use blind evaluations (remove photos), incorporate multiple assessors with low contact and rely more on objecctive performance predictors (ex: tests, structured interviews etc).
Luxen - facial attractiveness, sexual selection and personnel selection
Limitations
- Only manipulated facial attractiveness; didnt test status cues (competence, education etc).
- Generalisability limited due to homogenous sample.
- Focus on initial selection, not long-term hiring outcomes.
Luxen - facial attractiveness, sexual selection and personnel selection
Conclusion
- Evolved preferences - especially around facial attractiveness - still affect modern personnel decisions, even among experienced professionals.
- When interaction is likely, mating choice and intrasexual competition biases emerge in sublte but consistent ways.
- Organisations must acknowledge these unconscious heuristics and design selection systems to reduce their impact.
