Alan: intelligent- industrious- impulsive- critical- stubborn- envious

Ben: envious- stubborn- critical- impulsive- industrious- intelligent

After reading about the two people, we will feel that Alan is the better of the two people, while each has the same descriptions just in different orders. When we are introduced to positive qualities first, we are more likely to overlook the negative qualities or assume them to be positive. 

example of the halo effect

The halo effect manifests in various social judgments. One common example is the assumption that physically attractive people are more likely to be good individuals than those who are less attractive. Another instance is perceiving someone who is outgoing or friendly as having a better moral character than a person who is more reserved.

Examples of the Halo Effect

Based on the scenario below, identify the specific cognitive bias that is most likely influencing the manager's judgment and explain how this bias is affecting the evaluations of the two employees.

Performance Review Bias

The Halo Effect is a cognitive bias where an individual's overall impression of a person influences subsequent judgments about their specific character traits. For example, a generally positive perception can lead to the assumption that the person also possesses other desirable qualities, such as good morals or intelligence, without any direct evidence.

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- Priming effect (and anchoring)

- Halo effect

- Sampling effect

- Availability heuristic

- Representative heuristic

Effects that arise from system 1 activity

Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Nota, 2013.

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Even statistical experts do not recognize if a sampling effects played a large role in an outcome, when using their intuition.

Intuitive understanding of sampling effects

When a sensory experience (hearing a word/phrase, or seeing a picture), triggers an associational response that effects your decision making afterwards. The presentation of some stimuli affects someones response to the presentation of a following one.

Priming effect

The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut where individuals make decisions based on information that is most easily recalled, such as a recent experience or a vivid example. This reliance on readily available information can lead to flawed judgments, as the most accessible information is not always the most representative or accurate for making a sound decision.

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