Effect of rater race on conclusions regarding differential prediction in cognitive ability tests

The possibility of predictive bias by race in employment tests is commonly examined by across-group comparisons of the slopes and intercepts of regres sion lines using test scores to predict performance measures. This research assumed that the criteria, primarily supervisory ratings, were unbiased. H owever, a concern is that the apparent lack of differential prediction in c ognitive ability tests may be an artifact of the predominant use of perform ance ratings provided by supervisors who are members of the majority group; a criterion that is potentially biased against members of the minority gro up. We posited that ratings by a supervisor of the same race as the employe e being rated would be less open to claims of bias. We compared ability-per formance relationships in samples of Black and White employees that allowed for between-subjects and within-subjects comparisons under 2 conditions: w hen all employees were rated by a White supervisor and when each employee w as rated by a supervisor of the same race. Neither analysis found evidence of predictive bias against Black employees.