MERIT, PREFERENTIAL OR DIVERSITY-BASED SELECTION - EFFECT OF INFORMATION FRAME AND INFORMANT GENDER ON THE PUBLICS VIEWS ON PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT IN SELECTION

The study examined (I) the public's reactions to the philosophical jus tifications for merit vs. preferential selection, and (2) the effect o f information frame (i.e. 'merit', 'preferential' and 'diversity' fram es) and informant gender on people's views on preferential selection. Results show that in general the public supported merit selection and opposed the preferential practice and that their reactions to the just ifications for a selection practice determined the level of support fo r (or opposition to) that practice. In addition, people's support for merit selection was weakened under the preferential-frame-female-infor mant condition; their opposition to preferential selection was also re duced when a male informant advocated the advantages of the preferenti al practice by using the term diversity-based selection instead of pre ferential selection. Results were discussed in the context of the soci al influence literature.