Which of the following describes the halo effect? A) ...

[magmichele12]

Which of the following describes the halo effect?
 
  A) attributing our own successes to internal factors and failures to external factors
  B) judging someone on the basis of our perception of the group to which he or she belongs
  C) interpreting a person's behavior in comparison to others recently encountered
  D) drawing a general impression about an individual on the basis of a single characteristic
  E) underestimating the influence of external factors when making judgments about people

Question 2

Discuss the attribution theory.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[reelove4eva]

Answer to Question 1

D
Explanation: D) We tend to draw a general impression about an individual on the basis of a single characteristic, such as intelligence, sociability, or appearance. This is known as halo effect.

Answer to Question 2

The attribution theory suggests that when we observe an individual's behavior, we attempt to determine whether it was internally or externally caused. That determination, however, depends largely on three factors: (1 ) distinctiveness, (2 ) consensus, and (3 ) consistency. First, distinctiveness refers to whether an individual displays different behaviors in different situations. A behavior high in distinctiveness is more likely to be given an external attribution. Second, if everyone who faces a similar situation responds in the same way, we can say the behavior shows consensus. A behavior high in consensus is more likely to be considered an externally caused behavior. Third, the more consistent the behavior, the more we are inclined to attribute it to internal causes.