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Halo effect is one whereby, transitivity is applied on similar cases basing on judgement of performance in one situation (Rodriguez and Menon, 57). It can be assumed to be a spill over effect to the next object of attention of biasness, which is based on a simple reaction on an original view held by one as true. This always leans towards an error in judgement because our accuracy is bent on some features that are indirect to our subject matter but since they are predominant, they are taken to be a fair representation of the whole aspect of judgement. A good example is when a physically appealing person attracts people who under constant interaction assume a high level of intelligence. This often works to the advantage of the people in questions but as expected quite irritating to other people who might be less attractive. A closer relation to the halo effect is the Devil Effect which is represented by the exact opposite of the Halo Effect. Devil effect focuses on a single negative attribute to represent the bad in a phenomenon, object or person. Perception is the how we individually interpret what we encounter using known logical patterns or individual principles held by us as being true. Therefore a halo perception can be likened to a simulation or reflection which shadows an initial judgement and directly translates the same to any other situation as long as the subject matter is maintained or remains constant. The halo effect or the Devil effect is not necessarily right and one should not pursue the same in any future dependent or independent judgement despite the allure and especially in critical decision making.

 

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The most notable halo effect occurrence which best explains the phenomenon and has been proven to primarily work is the relationship between attractiveness and intelligence. Rhode (2010) in her article, Why looks are the last bastion of discrimination, confirms through statistics from the Employment Law Alliance in the year 2005 that 16% of employees in the United States acknowledged being victimized. It is a proven fact through various surveys that being physically unappealing made the hiring panel view participants in interviews as being of lower intelligence levels and not as equally skilled as their fair looking counterparts. This makes them have slim chances of getting the jobs and if so, they stand little chances of promotions thus majority were maintained at lower salary levels (Foley, 86). This habit is unavoidable and more of human nature and it is witnessed as early as classroom days when teachers like the good looking students and perceive them to be bright. It has become a universal rule to punish people who do not appreciate the value of beauty and therefore spend less time in improving their aesthetic appeal. The halo effect is further evidenced in cases whereby Rhode explains how plaintiffs in legal battles on average end up getting less worthy damages in their claims.

The devils effect is also well outline by Rhode (2010) in the two illustrations:

• In Texas during the year 1994, a woman was turned down in her application for a job as a bus driver before the beginning of her interview. She suffered from obesity and her prior encounter with her interviewer made him conclude that she was not agile enough for the work long before taking her through the formal procedure. This is seen as a clear indication of devil’s effect because she was perceived not to be able to handle her duties because the competencies were deemed to be way out of her league. Her obese nature was assumed to be reflective of her physical abilities which might have been true but stood an equal chance of not being the case.
• In New California during the year 2001 a fitness instructor, Jennifer Portnick, failed to land a major deal to hold a franchise in a prestigious chain of Gym and fitness health. Despite being well trained and of good physical stature her weight of 240-pound is seen as the main undoing. This had evidently not been a problem for years in her executions as evidenced by her large clientele and experience that made her the best in her area.

There have been situations when individuals have experienced the two effects at the same time. A waitress at the Burgata Hotel, New Jersey was turned down for her request of larger uniforms for she did not fit in her existing ones. The explanation given was that her job description preferred a certain size and shapes which attracted customers in the casino. The employers at the same time were appreciative of employees which requested new fittings due to their enlarged bursts and even awarded them paid medical leave for the same. Such is the case in the working girl movie (Nichols, 1988).Tess McGill a secretary who had ambitions to progress in the corporate world failed to make a mark due to academic background that was not from a renowned educational institution. Having attended night classes was seen as a lower calibre. She suffered long enough till one day her boss got out of office for a medical leave from a foot injury. She was asked to step in temporarily and she worked on her image knowing that her appearance and especially her great hair made her look the sophisticated executive her boss was. She therefore used appearance and adopted character she had mastered from years with her female boss to eventually seal a deal that made the mark in her life.

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In conclusion, both the devil and halo effect are seen to be applicable and generally practised in life but this should be controlled in certain choices we make in life. They might hold on basis of how they directly determine our livelihood but they are not to be entirely used as justifiable claims for applying certain prejudices.