Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

College/School

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department/Program

Psychology

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Michael Bixter

Committee Member

Cheryl Gray

Committee Member

Manuel Gonzalez

Abstract

This study examined how interview format influences job pursuit intentions (JPI) in the context of increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in hiring. Specifically, it compared human-led, AI-led, and AI-assisted scenario interview formats, and tested whether perceived procedural fairness and anticipated interview success mediated these relationships, as well as whether AI familiarity moderated the effects. Preliminary results from a sample of 72 participants indicated that, although the overall effect of interview format on JPI was not statistically significant, the pattern of means suggested highest JPI in human-led interview formats, followed by AI-assisted interviews, and finally completely AI-led interviews. Mediation analyses revealed significant indirect effects between AI-led interview formats (compared to human-led) to JPI through perceived procedural fairness, whereas the indirect effects through anticipated interview success did not reach significance. Additionally, a significant interaction between interview format and AI familiarity on JPI. However, the directionality was opposite as hypothesized, such that higher AI familiarity strengthened the negative relationship between AI interview formats and JPI. These findings highlight the importance of fairness perceptions in shaping candidate reactions and suggest that fully automated interviews may negatively impact applicant attraction, particularly among individuals more familiar with AI. Implications for organizational hiring practices and the design of AI-assisted recruitment systems are discussed.

File Format

PDF

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS