Summary of Naturals and Strivers

Preferences and Beliefs About Sources of Achievement

Chia-Jung Tsay and Mahzarin R. Banaji

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2010

Experts claim to favor those who “strive” to achieve, but research suggests they prefer “natural talent” without realizing it.

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Are so-called prodigies – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Pablo Picasso, Bobby Fischer and Shirley Temple – more talented than those who “strive” for expertise? Most experts claim not. However, research from social psychologists Chia-Jung Tsay and Mahzarin R. Banaji reveals that authorities may, inadvertently, favor innate talent when evaluating performance. getAbstract believes this eye-opening examination will help those working in human resources and university admissions departments make better – and less biased – decisions for their organizations.

In this summary, you will learn

What constitutes “naturalness bias,”
What experiments revealed about the naturalness bias and
What implications the naturalness bias has for hiring and admissions experts.

Summary

In all walks of life – education, athletics, music, art, science and business – people evaluate the “talent” of others. The judgments of experts, in particular, can have a great influence on your future; they serve as “gatekeepers,” deciding whom to choose, reward, coach and promote. In the United States...

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About the Authors

Chia-Jung Tsay is an assistant professor in the University College London’s School of Management. Mahzarin R. Banaji is a social psychologist at Harvard University.