Previous research has suggested that the framing of diversity policies or mandates influences how decision-makers evaluate highly qualified minority and female candidates. Specifically, in two studies that utilized an undergraduate population and a field sample of human resource professionals, legalistically worded diversity messages that stressed the legal consequences of discrimination and value diversity messages that stressed the enrichment of work and social groups through its diverse members, both resulted in positive initial evaluations of minority and female targets. However, decision-makers who were exposed to the legalistically framed diversity message were then more likely to negatively evaluate subsequent minority female candidates than those who were exposed to a "value diversity" message. This talk summarizes these previous findings and outlines work in progress that explores how diversity messages affects those they are intended to assist. The current working hypothesis is that legalistically framed messages may trigger stereotype threat in women and minorities and further exacerbate racial and gender academic and professional achievement gaps.

Ana P. Nunes earned her doctorate in Social Psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2011. She joined ICS in February of 2012. Her research interests focus on person perception processes and the effect of diversity mandates on judgments and behavior, especially in high-stake decision contexts such as hiring. She formerly directed testing studies of housing discrimination for Project Sentinel in Palo Alto, California, and employment discrimination studies for the Discrimination Research Center in Berkeley, California.