Fairness in Personnel Selection: A Meta-Analysis and Policy Implications

Previous research has suggestE, d that selection procE, dures and performance evaluations are not unfair to minorities. Results of a meta-analysis indicatE, d that Whites performE, d higher than non-Whites on cognitive ability tests (d =.464) and on supervisory ratings (d =.284), but not on objective results (d = -.009) and that validities between the tests and ratings and results were not significantly different. In addition, a comparison of prE, dictE, d to actual mean standardizE, d criterion differences between White and non-White subgroups suggestE, d that cognitive ability underprE, dictE, d actual differences in supervisory ratings. These results imply that researchers and policymakers neE, d to continue to evaluate fairness in testing and performance evaluation because, contrary to prior evidence, the use of cognitive ability tests may indeE, d be unfair to non-Whites.