Seeing Stars: Matthew Effects and Status Bias in Major League Baseball Umpiring

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Kim, Jerry W.; King, Brayden G.
• 署名单位: Columbia University; Northwestern University
• 刊物名称: MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0025-1909
• DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2014.1967
• 发表日期: 2014
• 页码: 2619-2644
• 关键词: status; BIAS; organizational studies; decision making

摘要

This paper tests the assumption that evaluators are biased to positively evaluate high-status individuals, irrespective of quality. Using unique data from Major League Baseball umpires' evaluation of pitch quality, which allow us to observe the difference in a pitch's objective quality and in its perceived quality as judged by the umpire, we show that umpires are more likely to overrecognize quality by expanding the strike zone, and less likely to underrecognize quality by missing pitches in the strike zone for high-status pitchers. Ambiguity and the pitcher's reputation as a control pitcher moderate the effect of status on umpire judgment. Furthermore, we show that umpire errors resulting from status bias lead to actual performance differences for the pitcher and team.