Final answer:
The halo effect is a cognitive bias where early impressions based on a singular quality heavily influence our perception of an individual's character.
Step-by-step explanation:
The tendency of early information to influence our perception of someone significantly is referred to as the halo effect. This cognitive bias can lead us to make broad generalizations about a person's character based on a singular quality or trait. For instance, we often judge those who are physically attractive as having more positive character traits, or we may perceive someone who is outgoing or friendly as having a better moral character than someone who is less sociable. These judgements occur because the halo effect causes us to infer many positive qualities based upon one observable characteristic.
Counter to the halo effect is the emphasis on information that supports existing beliefs, known as confirmation bias. Another cognitive bias is anchoring bias, which occurs when individuals give excessive weight to an initial piece of information when making decisions (e.g., initial price affecting perceived value). The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut that evaluates new information based on the most readily recalled examples, which can misrepresent reality if those instances are not statistically common.