Halo effect

The Halo 2023
Geoffrey W. Sutton & Bing AI

The halo effect is a cognitive bias characterized by judging other features of a person or organization based on experiences with one feature. 

Examples

A person who appears attractive may be considered as morally good or as having high intelligence based on attractiveness rather than evidence supporting the other features. Similarly, a person who has a bad experience with a company product may judge other products from the same company as inferior.

From the work of Edward Thorndike (notice the word halo).

In a study made in 1915 of employees of two large industrial corporations, it appeared that the estimates of the same man in a number of different traits such as intelligence, industry, technical skill, reliability, etc., etc, were very highly correlated and very evenly correlated. It consequently appeared probable that those giving the ratings were unable to analyze out these different aspects of the person's nature and achievement and rate each in independence of the others Their ratings were apparently affected by a marked tendency to think of the person in general as rather good or rather inferior and to color the judgments of the qualities by this general feeling This same constant error toward suffusing ratings of special features with a halo belonging to the individual a's a whole appeared in the ratings of officers made by their superiors in the army. (Thorndike, 1920, p. 25)

Cite this post

Sutton, G. W. (2023, September 26). Halo effect. Psychology concepts and theories. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2023/09/halo-effect.html

Reference

Thorndike, E. L. (1920). A constant error in psychological ratings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 4(1), 25–29. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0071663

Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

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