Daya and Robert are interviewing candidates for an administrative assistant position at their consulting firm. They narrow their preferred candidates to two people: Anthony and Elaine. Both agree that Elaine has superior experience and seems more knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the company, but Daya believes that Elaine’s “dressed down” appearance for the interview (she wore a dressy top, pants, and casual flats) in comparison to Anthony’s more formal attire (he wore a suit and dress shoes) is problematic. She wants to offer the position to Anthony. Robert considers Elaine’s attire a small matter and would prefer to make an initial offer to Elaine. Discuss Daya’s perception of Elaine versus Robert’s perception by focusing on the components of perception: the perceiver, the environment, and the focal object. [Apply/Analyze]

LO4