The impact of physical disability salience on discrimination in employment interview evaluations

Abstract

An experiment was conducted online to test the impact of disability salience and job type on the hiring recommendations and interview performance ratings provided for a job applicant. Participants (N = 215) were presented with a pre-recorded employment interview and rated the answers provided by the applicant, and provided a hiring recommendation. The study used a between-subjects 2 (Job Type) X 3 (Interview Condition) factorial design. Participants were assigned to one of six conditions. They were informed the interview was for either a high or low mobility position, and then presented one of three potential interview conditions: video with an able-bodied job applicant, video with a physically disabled job applicant, or an audio recording representing a telephone interview. Participants were recruited from both Canada (n = 106) and the United States (n = 109). A multivariate between subjects MANOVA resulted in significant effect of Country of Residence on both dependent variables, with Canadian and American participants providing significantly different hiring recommendations and interview ratings. Results suggest that Canadian and American residents may interpret the same information from employment interviews differently.