Research on stereotyping as related to workplace evaluations and decisions has been going on for more than 30 years. Recently, implicit association theory has emerged as a less conscious manifestation of stereotyping mechanisms. In this article, I review the relevance of research on both stereotyping and one of the more popular tests of implicit associations, the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Claims have been made that both stereotyping research and, more recently, IAT research provide theoretical and empirical support for the argument that protected demographic groups (e.g., ethnic minorities, women) are the victims of biased personnel decisions and evaluations. My review of the literature suggests that both stereotyping and IAT research study designs are sufficiently far removed from real work settings as to render them largely useless for drawing inferences about most, but not all, forms of employment discrimination.

My focal article generated a good deal of both heat and light embodied in 13 commentaries. In this response, I address both the heat and the light by clarifying some of my original comments, responding to criticisms in the commentaries, and using the commentaries to suggest a research agenda for studying the possible influence of stereotypes on real-world personnel decisions.

In this paper, I suggest that our methods for how to train are based historically on what we understand learning to be. I briefly trace the history of instructional design models, which embody both first-generation objectivist and second-generation cognitive constructivist views of learning. I then suggest we are on the cusp of a third-generation instructional model, one that places greater emphasis on the learner forming understanding largely through a process of social negotiation, either in training or on the job. I argue that Web-based instruction offers a technology ideally suited to the social constructivist approach at the core of this third-generation model. I discuss the importance of interaction in learning and suggest why Web-based networked learning may result in more, not less, interaction during training. Finally, I discuss other applications of third-generation learning such as peer mentoring and professional forums.