Liar at First Sight? Early Impressions and Interviewer Judgments, Attributions, and False Perceptions of Faking

Recent research and theory suggests interviewer characteristics and early impressions might strongly influence later perceptions and judgments of applicant behaviour. In this study, I experimentally investigated the effects of interviewer personality and first impressions of the applicant on later performance judgments, attributions, and perceptions of applicant faking. The sample comprised 247 undergraduate students. Pre-interview qualifications information about the applicant and applicant impression management during the rapport-building stage were manipulated to determine if early information, before the structured question-and-answer stage of the interview, biased interviewers. Findings demonstrated that early impressions altered interviewers’ perceptions and judgments of the applicant. The same applicant, with lower pre- interview qualifications, was judged a worse performer, and perceived as more deceptive in the same videotaped structured stage of the interview. The applicant was also considered less likeable, competent, and dedicated, and more conceited. Conversely, applicant impression management did not have an effect on interviewer impressions and judgments. Interviewer personality also affected perceptions and attributions of the applicant, where more Machiavellian and lower honesty-humility interviewers perceived more faking and made more negative attributions. Interviewer personality, however, did not relate to judgments of applicant fit and suitability. Based on these findings, human resources practitioners are encouraged to exercise caution with information provided to interviewers pre-interview, and researchers are encouraged to suspect interviewer perceptions of faking as symptomatic of interviewer dispositional and early impression biases.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2017

Author dc:creator

• Wingate, Timothy

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Bourdage, Joshua

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• O'Neill, Thomas
• Szeto, Andrew
• Meurs, James

• Psychology--Industrial

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/26754

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/4055