Kaye Kagaoan, Rachel Riker, Jonathan Lim
The formation of stereotypes –
SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS AND
THE HALO EFFECT
SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS
Moscovici (1973) developed his ideas
of group theory along with his
concept of social representations.
Social representations defined by
Moscovici are the shared beliefs and
explanations held by the society in
which we live or the group to which
we belong. He argues that social
representations are the solid
foundation of social cognition, for
they help us make sense of our world
and to master it. They also allow us to
communicate with one another by
providing a code for social exchange
and a code for naming and classifying
unambiguously the various aspects of
their world.
Social representations, in a sense, are
like cultural schemas, which are key
to the identity of the group and
provide a common understanding for
communication within a group. An
example is Adler (1990) asked a
Russian mother to describe her idea
of sharing within her children, which
turned out to be her kids playing with
the same toy at the SAME time. On the
other hand, when an American
mother was asked to perform the
same task, she described it as TAKING
TURNS with the same toy.
Caroline Howarth -- Identity in whose eyes?
(Howarth, 2002)
AIM: to explore the difference in representations
of Brixton as an unpleasant place and how this
affects the identity of Brixtonian teenagers.
PROCEDURE: Teenagers in Brixton’s social
identities reveal relationship between identity
and representation in media. Participants
were 44 school students (girls and boys from
a variety of cultural backgrounds from 3
different secondary schools, 12-16). Brixton
has a nasty reputation of being poor and
having social problems, portraying Brixton as
an unpleasant place, “divided and
disadvantaged by racism, poverty and crime.”
They interviewed the youths in their schools.
FINDINGS: People in Brixton develop an
understanding of the area where they live and
of their relationship to it thru the eyes of
others. Negative perceptions make Brixtonian
children feel bad.
CONCLUSION: Social representations may be the
basis for stereotyping and how they can
contribute to social identity. Also, there are
connections between the Social Identity
Theory and Social Representations.
Kaye Kagaoan, Rachel Riker, Jonathan Lim
THE HALO EFFECT
The halo effect is based on the assumption that what is beautiful is good. Asch (1946)
stated that “we look at a person and immediately a certain impression of his character
forms itself in us” (p. 258).
This assumption implies that some use a person’s physical traits as basis for traits
such as intelligence and personality.
DEFINITION: The HALO EFFECT is the cognitive bias where one particular trait,
especially good characteristics, influences or extends to other qualities of the
person. The HALO EFFECT biases one’s decision with a tendency to focus on the
good.(Dion, Berscheid&Walster, 1972)
What is Beautiful is Good – Dion, Berscheid&Walster (1972)
AIM: To find support for the Halo Effect and the
“What is beautiful is good” stereotype
PRODCEDURE: Participants were asked to rate
photographs of three individuals, ranging
from low to high physical attractiveness on
a 3-point scale (that was determined by an
earlier survey of 100 students). Participants
were then asked to rate them based on
different categories such as personality,
happiness, and success, and the ratings
were averaged.
FINDINGS: Attractiveness is positively linked to
socially desirable personality traits, though
attractive individuals were given lower
ratings as possible parents compared.
However, the results of the experiment still
show that the more attractive people were
assumed to be happier and more successful
in life.
CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the Halo
Effect and the “what is beautiful is good”
stereotype, confirming the cognitive bias
wherein people associate beauty with other
positive qualities. Beauty, acting as the
central trait, influenced other
characteristics.
EVALUATION:
- Provides research support for the
‘Halo Effect’
- Explains deliberate casting
choices in media such as Disney
cartoons which have attractive
princesses and unattractive
villains
- Applies to real-life situations,
such as the workplace wherein
human resources recruiters may
choose someone for a single
positive trait that overshadows
any negative traits
- “Physical attractiveness” is
relative, so the study may be
overlooking individual
differences
- THE HALO EFFECT CLEARLY
PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN
THE FORMATION OF
STEROTYPES
WORKS CITED
Dion, K., Berscheid, E., &Walster, E. (1972). What is beautiful is good. Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology, 24(3), 285-290
Howarth, Caroline (2002) Identity in whose eyes?: the role of representations in identity
construction. Journal for the theory of social behaviour.