Final answer:
Julie's ignoring of her co-worker's poor work performance in light of her Harvard degree is an example of selective perception, a cognitive bias where individuals filter information based on their expectations and beliefs.
Step-by-step explanation:
Julie meets a co-worker with a Master's degree from Harvard and characterizes her as smart, but starts ignoring her poor performance at work. This behavior is an example of selective perception, which describes a cognitive bias where individuals perceive what they expect to perceive. Selective perception is part of Bruner's model of the perceptual process and speaks to how our expectations, experiences, and biases can shape our perception of others and situations. In this case, Julie is likely influenced by the stereotype that Harvard graduates are highly intelligent, and as a result, she has difficulty acknowledging evidence that contradicts this preconceived notion.
Another related concept is the confirmation bias, which entails focusing on information that confirms one's existing beliefs, similar to Julie's tendency to overlook poor job performance. Stereotyping is relevant as well but more broadly involves applying generalized beliefs to individuals based on their group membership, such as their education institution. Cognitive dissonance would refer to the discomfort from holding conflicting beliefs, which is not exactly what Julie is demonstrating here.