The first studies of promotion decision making appeared in the 1970s and were vignette studies in which managers were asked to make simulated promotion decisions for hypothetical candidates (Taylor, 1975). These studies examined the criteria used by managers when making a promotion decision, and they found that managers used a relatively small number of cues, such as previous experience,communication skills, and leadership ability. These findings were consistent with results from the broader judgment and decision-making literature at the time,which suggests that human decision makers rely on relatively limited information(Bouman, 1980; Shanteau, 1995).