Influence of Decision-Makers' Characteristics on Outcome of a Selection Process in Medical School

Abstract

In the evaluation of selection of students for medical school, little systematic effort has been given to the influence of the characteristics of decision-makers on the outcomes of the selection process. This paper addresses that issue by exploring whether decision-makers' demographic, social, or psychological characteristics, either singly or together with companion characteristics of applicants, played a role in the final outcomes of the process. The decision-makers were interviewers and admission committee members who selected 80 students from a pool of 245 applicants to a B.A.—M.D. degree program. The findings suggest that future work on selection needs to take the characteristics of decision-makers into account to ascertain a more complete evaluation of the process.