EFFECTS OF RATER ACCOUNTABILITY ON THE ACCURACY AND THE FAVORABILITY OF PERFORMANCE RATINGS

The authors tested the effects of holding raters accountable for their performance ratings on the accuracy and the favorability of those rat ings. Undergraduate research participants (N = 247) completed an inbas ket exercise and observed a videotaped simulation during 2 sessions ov er a 2-week period. The simulation presented performance information o n 4 simulated subordinates portrayed through videotaped vignettes. Tru e performance scores were manipulated by varying the proportion of pos itive and negative performance vignettes presented for each subordinat e. Participants who were made to feel accountable by having to justify their ratings to the experimenter in writing rated their simulated su bordinates more accurately. In another experimental condition, account able raters who were told their subordinates' previous performance rat ings were too low rated their subordinates more favorably than did rat ers in the same experimental condition who were not accountable.