Question

Xavier has been working for a local market for about 6 months now and admires the manager in his department because she is extraverted, bold, and extremely creative. Because Xavier struggles with his shyness and has a difficult time making new friends, he respects anyone who is outgoing. Even though other staff members have complained about the manager's abrupt and confrontational behavior, Xavier thinks she can do no wrong. Xavier's perceptions are a result of:

A. self-serving bias.
B. stereotype threat.
C. the halo effect.
D. the fundamental attribution error.

Answer 1

Xavier's admiration of his manager's outgoing nature and creativity leading him to overlook her confrontational behavior is an example of the halo effect.

Step-by-step explanation:

Xavier's perceptions of his manager, despite other staff members' complaints about her confrontational behavior, are a result of the halo effect. The halo effect occurs when an individual's overall impression of a person, influenced by favorable characteristics (such as extraversion and creativity in this case), positively biases their judgment of that person's unrelated traits. In Xavier's situation, his admiration for the manager's outgoing nature is overshadowing any negative aspects of her behavior, leading him to dismiss the complaints of other colleagues and view her as incapable of wrongdoing.

Xavier's perceptions are a result of the halo effect. The halo effect is a cognitive bias where a person's positive qualities in one area influence how we perceive their qualities in other areas. In this case, Xavier admires the manager's outgoing and creative traits, so he sees her in a positive light overall, even ignoring the negative behaviors that others have pointed out.