The Nature of Prejudice, Research Paper Example

Introduction

The Halo Effect is a cognitive bias that alters the perception of a particular trait that a person possesses. A study conducted in the early 1900s by Edward Thorndike was the first introduce the Halo Effect. In this study, Thorndike asked commanding officers to rate their soldiers using positive and negative traits. He found that attractive soldiers seem to have good ratings across the board, while less attractive soldiers seemed to have negative traits across the board. This was alarming to him because he believed that most soldiers’ traits should have varied. He concluded that a single weak point for an unattractive person would negatively influence another person’s perception in general (Thornton, 1920). The Halo Effect plays a dominant role in society, but more so in the workforce.

Halo Effect & Employment

Several studies conducted have proven that the Halo Effect is common practice in workforce employment. According to these studies, some applicants are able to gain an advantage over other applicants due to their physical attractiveness. Often applicants are chosen for a job over another applicant although the less attractive applicant was more qualified for the job. However, a contradiction may arise when the person who is conducting the interviewing does not find himself/herself attractive. When this happens the interviewer may choose someone less attractive even if the more attractive person was better qualified to do the job. It has been concluded that more attractive people are treated differently in the workplace. According to Andreoni & Petrie(2008), attractive people are held to higher expectations than less attractive people and other employees are more willing to work and compromise with more attractive people. Wilson & Eckel (2006) added that people have more of a tendency to trust people who are physically attractive.

Judicial Process

Even more disturbing is the fact that research indicates that the Halo Effect may influence judicial processes. According to Wilson & Eckel, nice looking people are more likely to receive decisions that are more favorable to them. Researchers compared the court records for male criminals with similar cases. Of the 74 cases they reviewed, they found that 68 of the criminals that were “physically attractive” were 89 percent more likely to receive more lenient sentences or have the charged dropped all together (Wilson & Eckel, 2006). They also found that attractive female defendants were twice as likely to avoid jail time as female that was considered less attractive (Wilson & Eckel, 2006). Likewise, on the opposite end of the judicial spectrum, attractive people are more likely to be chosen for jury duty (Wilson & Eckel, 2006).

Religion

In the job setting, attractive people are perceived to be more honest and have more initiative, in the school setting attractive people are perceived to be more intelligent, so is it possible that attractive people are viewed as being more religious?  A study was conducted by Dr. Mark Allen of BYU. Two groups of participants were recruited. One group consisted of 47 students and the other group consisted of 57 students. All of the participants were BYU students. Participants viewed head shots of 120 students, who had previously agreed to be used for such studies, and were asked to rate them on a six point scale as to their attractiveness. The other group of participants were asked to rate these same photographs of students on their religiosity. Students were not aware that they were viewing the same photographs and were under the impression that the study was comprised of two parts. At the conclusion of the study, attractive participants received an overall higher rating for religiosity (Candall, T.L., DaBell, G. P., DaBell, J.L., Findley, K.S., Kammeyer, M.D., & Nielson, M., 2007).

Society & Beauty

There are many benefits that come along with being physically attractive. Although it is obvious to convey some of the benefits that adults may have for being physically attractive, it is little more difficult to think about some of the benefits that children may miss out on because they are less attractive. Research has shown that attractive children receive special benefits just as adults (Cottrell, Neuberg, & Li, 2007). These benefits may include more attention, better grades, less punishments, and even larger allowances from parents (Cottrell, Neuberg, & Li, 2007).; whereas less attractive children are not afforded such benefits. Often society labels those members who are not physically attractive as deviants, which means they are prone to criminal behavior and disorderly conduct. Society has placed unfair labels on people who are not aesthetically pleasing to look at. For example, when a person is approached by a stranger, the person is more likely to assist or talk with a stranger if he is physically attractive.

Origins of Bias

Where does physical attractiveness bias come from? Researchers have been debating this question for years; however, in recent years many are pointing their fingers at the media. Media significantly influences what society accepts as normal, beautiful, and acceptable. The media sends messages to the viewers about what is glamorous, what it means to be powerful or wealthy, and that lacking these qualities essentially means that one is a failure  Allport adds,

“The human mind must think with the aid of categories…categories have a close and immediate tie with what we see, how we judge, and what we do…This principle holds even though we often make mistakes in fitting events into categories and thus get ourselves into trouble”. (Allport, 1954)

As early as the 1970s, the cultivation theory suggested that the media served as an extension of one’s culture. In today’s tech savvy world, one can only imagine how much more society is influenced by what is seen on social media. One can infer that bad is now the new good. During the 70s villains in movies were portrayed as physically unattractive, in some instances they were ill formed and very unpleasing to look upon. However, in many of today’s movies the villains are often very attractive. This switch is sending the signal that evil may be a good choice.

My Opinion

Several researchers have concluded that it is just human nature for individual to be more inclined to things that are aesthetically pleasing. I totally agree because I believe that it is human nature. However, this human inclination can often make the playing field unfair for individuals who are not physically attractive. That means no matter how well qualified they may be, they will never get a fair shot as some aspects of life. The information that I found most shocking was the fact that a person’s attractiveness is used to determine how religious a person may be. I felt that physical attractiveness play a dominant role in society, but I never felt it would also be dominant in how people viewed others religiosity. People often exhibit stereotypes and behaviors that they are unaware of. People who are in management positions or decision making decisions are no different from people who are not. I also believe that the media plays a more than dominant role in the way society views beauty. There are so many teens and even adult women who are trying to transform their bodies, often through unhealthy means, into what the media says is beautiful. There are countless husbands and wives who leave home or have affairs because their spouse does not fit the description of what beautiful or handsome is.

References

Allport, G. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Reading MA: Addison-Wesley.

Andreoni, J., Petrie, R. (2008). Beauty, gender and stereotypes: Evidence from laboratory experiments. Journal of Economic Psychology, 29, 73-93.

Candall, T.L., DaBell, G. P., DaBell, J.L., Findley, K.S., Kammeyer, M.D., & Nielson, M. (2007). The halo effect and religiosity. Institution: BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology, 3(1), 19-22.

Cottrell, C., Neuberg, S., & Li, N. (2007). What Do People Desire in Others? A sociofunctional perspective on the importance of different valued characteristics. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(2), 208-231.

Thorndike, E.L. (1920). A constant error on psychological rating. Journal of Applied Psychology, 3(1), 25-29.

Wilson, R. K., Eckel, C. C. (2006). Judging a book by its cover: Beauty and expectations in the trust game. Political Research Quarterly, 59(2), 189-202