PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY 2007, 60, 627–646 THE INFLUENCE OF RELATIONAL DEMOGRAPHY ON PANEL INTERVIEW RATINGS: A FIELD EXPERIMENT M. RONALD BUCKLEY University of Oklahoma KATHERINE A. JACKSON Auburn University at Montgomery MARK C. BOLINO University of Oklahoma JOHN G. VERES III Auburn University at Montgomery HUBERT S. FEILD Auburn University The influence of relational demography (assessor race, candidate race, and the racial composition of rating panels) was examined in a structured interview setting. Twenty assessors (10 White and 10 Black) compris- ing five, 4-person panels of all possible racial compositions, evaluated videotaped responses of police officers participating in a promotion pro- cess. Each panel rated the same 73 (36 White and 37 Black) candidates’ responses to a complex, structured interview question. An examination of mean overall ratings revealed a same race bias and a significant dif- ference between panels based upon the relational demography of the interview panel; nevertheless, the size of these effects was small. Net reconciliation (i.e., between initial and final scores) differed significantly between minority and majority panel conditions for only Black assessors and, again, the effects here were very small. The practical implications of these findings are discussed. Employment interviews are one of the most frequently used methods of selection in both private and public sector organizations. Although the va- lidity of some interviewing practices has been questioned, panel or board interviews are often recommended for selecting personnel (e.g., Arvey & Campion, 1982; Campion, Pursell, & Brown, 1988; Dixon, Wang, Calvin, Dineen, & Tomlinson, 2002; Roth & Campion, 1992; Wiesner & Cronshaw, 1988). Although prior research has addressed the effects of demographic variables in employment interviews (see Cesare, 1996 and Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to M. Ronald Buckley, University of Oklahoma, Division of Management, Norman, OK 73019-0450; mbuckley@ ou.edu. COPYRIGHT C  2007 BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC. 627