On Bias in Detecting Bias: A Signal Detection Analysis of Attributions to Gender Discrimination

Signal detection theory (SDT) is a popular conceptual lens for theorizing attributions todiscrimination. This work is the first to realize the theoretical potential of SDT inelucidating the mediation of effects through response bias or sensitivity, progressingfrom mere conceptual applications of SDT to rigorous empirical analyses. Here weexamine attributions to gender discrimination in corporate pay raise decisions. Wefound that observers’ response bias, but not their sensitivity, reflected culturalstereotypes and was informed by the actual pattern of bias in observed decisions(Studies 2 and 3). Harm exerted a strong effect on response bias, but only a small effecton sensitivity (Studies 1 to 4). Moreover, we unravel the causal origin of these effects asoriginating from either processes specific to attribution or from the assessment of whata fair decision would have been (Study 4).