Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Experiment Finds Race Trumps A Prestigious Degree

Forbes.com
Daniel Fisher
Full Disclosure
October 19, 2010

An experiment designed to test perceptions of affirmative action found that independent observers rated companies significantly lower when they were told the top executives were African-American graduates of prestigious universities, instead of white. The difference went away when the executives were said to have graduated from less selective schools, and when the evaluators were told that the more selective schools exercised race-blind admissions.

The study, by researchers at Clarkson University, the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, and the May Group Family Fund, suggests that people assume minority candidates receive preferential treatment at more selective schools and discount their professional skills as a result.

Full Story: http://blogs.forbes.com/danielfisher/2010/10/19/experiment-finds-race-trumps-a-prestigious-degree/?boxes=financechannelforbes

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