Skip to main content
Log in

Subtle Discrimination Overtakes Cognitive Resources and Undermines Performance

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Business and Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Meta-analyses demonstrate that the negative effects of subtle forms of discrimination on a range of work-related outcomes can be worse than those of overt discrimination (Dhanani et al. Personnel Psychology, 71(2), 147–179, 2018; Jones et al. Journal of Management, 42(6), 1588–1613, 2016). Yet, these syntheses and the primary studies on which they are based offer little insight into how or why these effects emerge. In the current study, we examine consequences of both of these types of discrimination on task performance and citizenship intentions via cognitive resource depletion. A total of 131 women experienced (a) overt discrimination, (b) subtle discrimination, (c) overt and subtle discrimination, or (d) no discrimination and were then asked to conduct a series of in-basket performance tasks. Results revealed that subtle (but not overt) discrimination significantly impaired measures of task performance and that cognitive resource depletion mediated these relationships. By pinpointing cognitive resource depletion as the mechanism that transmits the negative consequences of subtle discrimination, this work sheds new light onto this detrimental psychological experience and further opens up new opportunities for its remediation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

References

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

Sarah Singletary Walker, Mikki Hebl, Eden King, and Abby Corrington developed the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by Sarah Singletary Walker and Abby Corrington. Data analyses were performed by Sarah Singletary Walker and Abby Corrington. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Sarah Singletary Walker, and all authors provided critical revisions to the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Abby Corrington.

Ethics declarations

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Rice University.

Consent to Participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Sarah S. Walker and Abby Corrington share the first authorship of this work.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Walker, S.S., Corrington, A., Hebl, M. et al. Subtle Discrimination Overtakes Cognitive Resources and Undermines Performance. J Bus Psychol 37, 311–324 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-021-09747-2

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-021-09747-2

Keywords

Navigation