Just Sit Back and Watch: Large Disparities between Video and Face-to-face Interview Observers in Applicant Ratings

ABSTRACT

Video-mediated communication (VMC) tools such as Zoom are rapidly being adopted in distance education, telehealth, and for job-related purposes like meetings and interviews. However, how interactions may differ between VMC and face-to-face (FTF) communication is not yet fully understood. In particular, much of the existing literature has explicitly focused on how VMC affects interdependent communication exchange (active) rather than mere observation (passive), and what research does exist on passive observation has focused on recorded (asynchronous) VMC rather than live (synchronous) interactions. Using a mock interview paradigm, we directly compared differences in perceptions of a job applicant between ostensibly synchronous VMC passive and FTF passive participants. VMC passive participants rated the job applicant as less likeable, less hirable, and as having less agency than did FTF passive participants. These large effects (> 1 SD) were partially mediated by lower self-reported attention for VMC participants. These results are discussed in terms of their basic and applied implications for VMC and perceptions of others.

Author contributions

All authors contributed to the study design, data analysis, and manuscript preparation.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Matthew Jordan for their assistance collecting the data and Chayne Standage for being our actor.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

D. A. Baker

D. A. Baker earned her PhD in Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology from Arizona State University in 2016. Her research focuses on how decision-making and attitudes are affected by the design and application of emerging technologies and smart systems.

Devin M. Burns

Devin Burns earned his PhD in Cognitive Psychology from Indiana University in 2014 with a focus on math modeling. His current interests include sensory augmentation, perception of balance, statistical modeling, and experimental design. He is also involved in the Collaborative Replications and Education Project (CREP) and supports Open Science.

Clair Reynolds Kueny

Clair Reynolds Kueny earned her PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Saint Louis University in 2016. Her research interests include employee perceptions of others' workplace behaviors. Her work has been published in journals including Human Resource Management Review, Journal of Business Ethics, and European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology.