December 2012 Study of the Month
The “Study of the Month” column
features LGBTA-related research studies conducted by members of SIOP. If you are interested in having your
research highlighted, please contact Nicholas Salter at nsalter@ramapo.edu.
Individuals’ perceptions of
personality in gay male and lesbian applicants can potentially be a factor in
the hiring process. In the
current study, we asked individuals to evaluate a resume and rate the applicant’s
personality, specifically the Big Five, masculinity, and femininity. The
resume potentially included sexual orientation cues such as gay and lesbian
affiliated organizations, reflecting a gay male or lesbian applicant. Results suggest that individuals rated
the resume reflecting a gay male applicant as more feminine and less masculine
than the resume reflecting a heterosexual male applicant. In addition, individuals rated the
resume reflecting a lesbian applicant as less agreeable than the resume
reflecting a heterosexual female applicant. The most interesting and practical information
garnered from these results is that individuals were able to form stereotypical
perceptions of an applicant’s personality based solely on a resume. A resume consists of limited cues and
information regarding an applicant’s sexual orientation; in this case
organization affiliation. It
is important to note that individuals were able to observe these limited cues
and form stereotypical personality perceptions of the applicant on the basis of
those cues.
This study was presented at the
annual Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology conference in
April of 2012 by Megan B. Morris and Gary N. Burns. For more information, please contact
Megan Morris at morris.156@wright.edu.