THE IMPACT OF BIASED INQUIRY STRATEGIES ON PERFORMANCE JUDGMENTS

This experiment explores the attributional consequences of asking cons training performance-relevant questions-biased to elicit favorable or unfavorable remarks from the person being evaluated. After hearing the performer deliver a speech, all subjects played the role of questione r in a feedback interview purportedly designed to help the speechmaker improve future performance. Subjects asked biased questions that focu sed on either the positive or negative aspects of the speech and heard answers that were either congruent or incongruent with the biasing im plications of their questions. Results showed that speech performance ratings were influenced by the direction of the performer's self-evalu ative comments, even when these comments were in line with, and thus p otentially constrained by, the evaluator's own behavior. Implications of biased inquiry strategies in organizational contexts where the eval uator is the source of constraint are discussed. (C) 1994 Academic Pre ss, Inc.