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RATER EXPECTATIONS AND BEHAVIOR SALIENCE IN PERFORMANCE RATINGS
Abstract
This study was derived from recent models of performance rating which emphasize the cognitive processes performed by raters. An investigation was made into the effects of expectations and behavior salience on performance ratings. Several effects were hypothesized: (a) ratings are congruous with raters' expectations, (b) rating of unexpected behaviors are low in accuracy, (c) ratings of unexpected behaviors are high in accuracy when the behaviors are perceptually salient, and (d) rating effects due to expectations generalize to similar behaviors. The subjects were 37 male and 41 female university student volunteers randomly assigned to one of six conditions. They role-played university administrators and watched a videotaped sample of an instructor's lecture. Pre-observation information induced congruous, incongruous, or no expectations of several target behaviors in the videotape. Subjects viewed one of two tapes. In one, behaviors targeted by the expectations manipulation were elicited by student questions (salience condition). The other was identical except that no student questions occurred (no salience). Subjects made ratings of behavioral observation scales (24 items in 6 dimensions). Both absolute and accuracy scores were analyzed. Accuracy scores were calculated by the absolute difference between the subject's rating and the "true" score of an item. The true score was derived from a panel of expert raters. The first hypothesis received limited support. Subjects expecting the instructor to frequently lecture over the heads of students gave the highest frequency ratings of this behavior. For several behaviors a "boomerang" effect occurred. Those expecting the behavior gave the lowest ratings of that behavior. Several factors were cited as possible causes of this effect. The second and third hypotheses were not supported because of low internal validity of the incongruous expectations manipulation. In two cases effects exhibited in target behaviors also occurred for similar behaviors, thus the fourth hypothesis received some support. Several effects not hypothesized were noted. Highly salient behaviors may result in ratings that are elevated in frequency and accuracy. Expectations congruous with behavior can increase rating accuracy. The results were discussed in terms of several models concerned with the effects of expectations and behavior salience on observers' evaluations.
Subject Area
Occupational psychology
Recommended Citation
LEON, JACK STEPHEN, "RATER EXPECTATIONS AND BEHAVIOR SALIENCE IN PERFORMANCE RATINGS" (1984). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8423811.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8423811