Halo Effect / Halo Error

Halo effect refers to when someone draws a general impression about an individual on the sole basis of a single characteristic or a trait.

It is somewhat very similar to stereotyping (when a person is perceived according to a single category) (refer to my previous blog).

Halo effect is a phenomenon that commonly occurs during an appraisal. During an appraisal a rater usually makes a judgement of a person being rated(ratee) based on total personality/performance on the discretion of a single trait such as intelligence, sociability, appearance, or cooperativeness.

This phenomenon is usually seen in university settings. Students have the tendency to appraise their lecturers based on a single characteristic. This tends to cloud the entire evaluation on how they perceive their lecturers. This became a reality for a friend of mine who is lecturing in a polytechnic in Singapore. Even though he is an intelligent, knowledgeable, and highly qualified lecturer, he received a low rating by some of his students just because he disciplined them.

I had also been subjected to halo effect during an appraisal on my previous job as a teacher. I was not given a promotion due to my fallout with my supervisor even though I had contributed significantly in terms of both my teaching and non-teaching duties.

In my opinion, halo effect distorts our judgement and creates negative consequences. Thus, it should be avoided at all costs as it can result in poor decision-making or even worse, employees being dismissed unfairly. Rater should exercise greater self-awareness and impartiality when rating.

Stereotyping

Stereotyping is a social phenomenon that we commonly display in our everyday lives. We tend to be quick in judging someone on the basis of our perception of the group to which that person belongs.

We hear comments or read in the papers that represent stereotyping. It is usually based on nationality, ethnicity and gender.

I have personally heard some non-Muslims commenting that Muslims (male) who sport a beard and a turban are likely to be terrorists. Even though they might have meant it as a joke (a very distasteful one definitely) but the underlying basis can be inferred to be stereotyping.

I have also read about how some Punjabis who have been mistaken to be terrorists and have been stopped at some western countries' airports and questioned. The West's perception of terrorists is that they sport beards or turbans and that they are mainly Asians. A classic example of stereotyping is the unfortunate incident where an innocent man who was thought to be a terrorist was shot dead in London by the police following the London bombings. The police stand was that he was a carrying a backpack which they had thought contained explosives. This is a fatal case of stereotyping.

Singaporeans have also been stereotyped by other nationalities. Singaporeans are thought to be 'Kia Su' (Hokkien for 'fear of losing'). They are the ones who tend to pile up their food on their plates during buffets. This cannot be solely attributed to Singaporeans. I have also witnessed other nationalities ( and not just Asians) displaying this characteristic.

In my opinion, one must always think before jumping to conclusions, and negative stereotypes do not do any good for anyone.

Welcome to That's Life!

This is my first post on my first ever blog!

That's Life! has been started to meet my Social Psychology module assignment requirements. I hope to be able to continue blogging even after completing this module. Wish me luck!