TYPE OF AFFIRMATIVE-ACTION POLICY - A DETERMINANT OF REACTIONS TO SEX-BASED PREFERENTIAL SELECTION

In 3 studies, 150 undergraduates and 75 MBA students, men and women, w ere exposed to selection policies differing in the degree to which mer it and group membership were weighted in selection decisions involving women. Results indicated that in self-views and self-assessments of b eneficiaries (Study 1), competence perceptions on the part of others ( Study 2), and work-related reactions of nonbeneficiaries (Study 3), ma ny, but not all, negative reactions to sex-based preferential selectio n were alleviated when the policy made clear that merit considerations were central to the decision-making process. In the absence of inform ation about policy type, participants acted as if merit had not been a factor in preferential selection decisions.