A sociologist wants to study racial discrimination in hiring, and decides to either distribute a survey asking employers about their hiring methods, or conduct an experiment that involves sending fake resumes to employers to see who gets an interview. Which method would best examine racial discrimination in hiring and why?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The experimental method would best examine racial discrimination in hiring because it allows the researcher to isolate the effect of race by creating otherwise identical resumes except for the race of the applicant. This method allows for a direct comparison between identical resumes with only the race being manipulated, which can demonstrate whether racial discrimination is a factor in the hiring process. The survey method would not be as effective in demonstrating racial discrimination because employers may not be willing to report discriminatory behavior and may not even be aware of their own biases. Additionally, experiments can be conducted in a real-world setting and still control for extraneous variables, such as the unpredictability of the real world.

A Sociologist Wants to Study Racial Discrimination in Hiring, and Decides