The anchoring and adjustment heuristic in unstructured interviews: an experimental study

Pienaar, Chelsey Ellen

The anchoring and adjustment heuristic in unstructured interviews: an experimental study

Master Thesis

2014

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Organisational Psychology

Faculty

Faculty of Commerce

Abstract

The presence of anchoring and adjustment within structured interviews has been widely observed in research over the years. However, the unstructured interview is a more extensively used selection tool than the structured interview, making it important to understand anchoring and adjustment in the unstructured interview setting. The present study investigated the presence of the anchoring and adjustment heuristic in unstructured interviews using a between-subjects, post-test only experimental design. The sample consisted of 78 managers and human resource personnel from various organisations. Subjects were required to watch a short video of an unstructured interview, and then provide an overall rating of the candidate's communication skills. Subjects were divided into high, low, and control conditions. A high, low, or no anchor was provided in the question asking subjects to rate the video candidate. Results indicated that anchoring and adjustment does not occur in simulated unstructured interviews. Limitations of the study and implications for future research are discussed.

Description

Includes bibliographical references.

Keywords

Organisational Psychology

Reference:

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Masters

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