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.