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UTILIZATION AND VALIDITY OF NONVERBAL CUES IN THE STRUCTURED INTERVIEW BY JENNIFER R. BURNETT A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 1993 UnB »tY na^ of Copyright 1993 by Jennifer R. Burnett . This work is dedicated to my supportive, patient, and ever loving husband, Tom, who has helped me become all that I am, and all that I will ever be; to my wonderful and caring parents, who always believed in me and who instilled in me the ambition and strength to reach for my goals; and to my two brothers for their constant encouragement and inspiration ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks are extended to my chairman, Dr. Stephan Motowidlo, for his enduring guidance. His confidence in the results and related implications of this line of research has been very inspiring. As a committed mentor, he made the dissertation process a true learning process. I am also sincerely grateful for the support of Dr. Henry Tosi. His belief in my abilities, constant encouragement, and invaluable advice helped me to reach my goals. Dr. Norman Markel was also a integral part of my learning experience. He not only offered his expertise in the field of nonverbal communication, but he also provided a much appreciated, realistic perspective to this experience. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Dr. Wesley Hutchinson. His suggestions and viewpoint were greatly appreciated. The financial and logistical support of Dr. Sanford Berg and the Public Utility Research Center at the University of Florida was greatly appreciated. His assistance made this research possible. A special acknowledgement is given to my parents and brothers Their faith in me was unwavering, and their . excitement in my accomplishments has made it all worthwhile. iv Finally, none of this would have been possible without my husband, Tom. The long hours, doubts, and frequent obstacles could not have been overcome without his undying patience, understanding and strong belief in me. My accomplishments are a direct result of his love and encouragement. TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv ABSTRACT viii INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW 1 Introduction 1 Structured Interviews 2 Theoretical Perspectives on the Effectiveness of the Structured Interview 13 Attention to and Utilization of Nonverbal Cues in the Interview 24 Issues of Concern and Future Directions 46 PRELIMINARY STUDIES AND THE CURRENT STUDY RESEARCH QUESTIONS 59 Study #1: The Development and Validation of the Interview 60 Study #2: Aural and Visual Sources of Validity 66 Study #3: Identifying Important Nonverbal Behaviors 71 Implications of Preliminary Studies on the Current Study 81 Current Research Study 84 HYPOTHESES, METHODS, AND PROCEDURES 88 Research Hypotheses 88 Methods and Procedures 92 Reliabilities 105 Data Analysis 113 RESULTS 115 Total Sample Analyses 115 Analyses by Interviewee Sex 121 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS 130 Cue Utilization and the Ecological Validity of Nonverbal Cues 130 Incremental Validity 133 Sex Differences 134 vi Contributions and Limitations 138 Summary and Conclusions 140 APPENDIX A INTERVIEW PROTOCOL AND INTERVIEW DIMENSIONS .... 142 APPENDIX B SUPERVISORY RATING FORMS 156 APPENDIX C TRAITS ASSOCIATED WITH BEHAVIORAL DIMENSIONS 164 . . . APPENDIX D NONVERBAL CUE RATING FORMS 169 REFERENCES 186 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 195 vii Abstract of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy UTILIZATION AND VALIDITY OF NONVERBAL CUES IN THE STRUCTURED INTERVIEW By Jennifer R. Burnett August, 1993 Chairman: Stephan J. Motowidlo, Ph.D Major Department: Management The purpose of this study was to determine if nonverbal cues are utilized by interview raters, are related to performance ratings, and contribute incrementally to the validity of a structured interview. Simulated job interviews with 60 managers from 4 utility companies were recorded on videotape. Supervisors provided performance ratings. Undergraduate raters (N=167) watched the videotaped interviews and rated subjects on 4 dimensions of managerial effectiveness. Eight nonverbal behaviors, including gaze, smiling, hand movement, back/side lean, body orientation, physical attractiveness, dress, and vocal attractiveness, were scored by independent judges. Nonverbal cues, in combination, were significantly correlated with both interview (r=.33, p<.01) and performance Vlll . (r=.21, p<.05) ratings. Gaze was the only nonverbal cue which was not only utilized by interview raters, but also was a valid indicator of performance Independent measures of . nonverbal cues did not contribute incrementally to the validity of the interview, suggesting that interview raters were utilizing cues sufficiently. Results differed according to the sex of the interviewee. Although nonverbal cues correlated significantly with interview ratings for both men (r=.30, p<.05, N=32) and women (r=.39, p<.05, N=28) correlations , with performance substantially differed by sex (men: r=-.18, n.s.; women: r=.67, p<.001). For women only, combined dynamic cues were both utilized by interview raters (r=.31, p<.05), and significantly correlated with supervisory ratings of performance (r=.56, p<.001) Also, for women, . independently rated nonverbal cues added significantly to the prediction of performance, beyond that of interview ratings alone. This indicates that interview raters were not sufficiently utilizing nonverbal cues when judging female interviewees It was concluded that nonverbal cues influence structured interview ratings, and are related to supervisory ratings of performance. Gaze, in particular, seems to be a valid nonverbal cue to utilize in the interview. Three explanations are proposed regarding the compelling sex differences found in this study. ix . INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction Despite years of criticism about the interview's low reliability and validity, it has prevailed as one of the most popular methods of selection. Recently developed structured interview techniques have lifted some of the negativity surrounding the use of the interview. Studies that have tested structured interview formats have provided favorable reports of their use to increase the validity and reliability of interviewer's judgments (M. Campion, Pursell, and Brown, 1988; Janz, 1982; Latham, Saari, Pursell, and M. Campion, 1980; Motowidlo, Carter, Dunnette, Tippins, Werner, Burnett, and Vaughan, 1992) Researchers must continue to investigate . how to improve the structured interview in order to obtain accurate ratings that identify qualified job candidates This study will focus on a set of factors that, research has shown, affects the favorability of interviewer's judgments. These factors are nonverbal cues. The specific focus here is on the effect of nonverbal cues (e.g. body positioning, gestures, facial expressions, voice characteristics, appearance and attractiveness) on the validity with which interviewers make predictions of applicants' future job performance.