Written by Haafizah Bibi
Many of us know the saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, and while it is considered morally wrong to base your opinions about someone on something as superficial as attractiveness, you could be doing exactly that! In social psychology, ‘the halo effect’ is a type of cognitive bias whereby attractiveness influences our impression of a person and the way we think or feel about them.
The halo effect can be observed in many settings, but the most interesting, in my opinion, is that of education. Clifford and Walster (1973) conducted a study which aimed to measure how physical attractiveness impacted the expectations fifth-grade teachers had on student’s academic abilities. They sent 504 elementary school principals from the state of Missouri a report card to pass onto the fifth-grade teacher at their school, under the pretence that the teachers should examine the nature / quality of the report card.
The report card included information about grades and absences and this information was the same for every report card that was distributed. However, the report cards differed in terms of the photograph that was attached to them. The photograph on the report card was 1 from 12 different pictures: 3 pictures of attractive boys, 3 pictures of attractive girls, 3 pictures of unattractive boys and 3 pictures of unattractive girls.
The teachers were required to complete an opinion sheet (a questionnaire), where they were asked to give their thoughts about the child’s IQ, social status with peers, and parental attitudes towards school / future accomplishments.
So, what did the researchers find?
Based on 404 responses, teachers perceived attractive children to have higher IQs, and to have parents especially interested in academic achievement / further education. They also perceived the more attractive children to be more popular with peers and to have better relations with them.
These results may appear to be shocking, as a child’s physical appearance should not be associated with their potential at school. However, the study was carried out in one state in the US and is now over 40 years old. Therefore, the findings are outdated and may no longer be applicable today or to different cultures. Nevertheless, if the halo effect still does exist, then it has implications for life as we know it. For example, an emphasis on anonymity in processes such as applying for a job or marking a student’s work could help counteract how the halo effect can unconsciously shape our judgements.
References
Clifford, M. M., & Walster, E. (1973). The Effect of Physical Attractiveness on Teacher Expectations. Sociology of Education, 46(2), 248.