In cognitive psychology, what does the 'halo effect' describe in interpersonal perception?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. one positive trait skews overall judgment
- Step 1: The halo effect is a cognitive bias where an observer's overall positive impression of a person (such as physical attractiveness) influences feelings about their other traits. People tend to assume that attractive individuals are also more intelligent, kind, competent, and trustworthy. Answer: one positive trait skews overall judgment. Why not the others: "assuming everyone shares your exact opinion" describes the false consensus effect rather than the trait-generalization of the halo effect; "remembering the final item in a sequence" describes the recency effect in short-term memory and recall psychology; "distrusting anyone who wears glasses" describes a specific arbitrary visual prejudice rather than the general halo attribution bias.
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