Dolly Chugh
Organizational Behavior PhD
Dissertation Chair: Prof. M. Bazerman
Whose Advice is it Anyway?: An Exploration of Bias and Implicit Social Cognition in the Use of Advice
Six experiments tested the hypotheses that 1) receivers of advice inappropriately consider advisor identity when assessing advice, and 2) this process occurs largely outside of awareness, as a manifestation of the mental processes of implicit social cognition. In each experiment, participants participated in a game requiring them to answer a series of questions, with the opportunity to consider the usefulness of advice. The advice was provided in audio form from a stranger about whom they could infer race, ethnicity, and gender. Correct responses were rewarded financially. The experimental paradigm was structured to mimic the conditions under which advice assessment in organizations often occurs, including ambiguous information, time pressure, and a vested interest in being correct.
The predicted effect of biased use of advice was found in two of the six studies (p<.05 and p<.10, respectively) and this suboptimal use of advice was costly to the advice-taker, resulting in a "stereotype tax". The effect was not found in the other four studies. The relationship between implicit bias and advice use ranged from negligible to confusing in all studies. Additional research is required to clarify whether the hypotheses of this work are incorrect, or if the methods used to test hypotheses require revision. Consideration of an alternate experimental paradigm and/or an alternate dependent variable is recommended.
