The effects of job description content on job evaluation judgments

Abstract

This research investigated the impact of job description content on judgments made during job evaluation. Three experiments were conducted. In the first two experiments, task statements for an accountant position were written and scaled according to perceived value to an organization. In the third experiment, job descriptions were written using scaled statements generated in the first two experiments. Using these descriptions of known scale value, two hypotheses were investigated: (a) evaluations of descriptions with valuable information presented first will exhibit a primacy effect, and (b) evaluations of the scaled descriptions will comply with an averaging model (N. H. Anderson, 1974) of information integration. The pattern of results supported both hypotheses. In light of these findings, implications for job evaluation practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)