Bias Binge #8 - Never judge a book by its cover

The Horn Effect is a bias that allows you to make a snap judgment about someone on the basis of one perceived negative trait. Prejudice is one of the most serious implications of the horn effect. When people see certain physical characteristics, such as race, size, or gender, as negative, they often consider people with those traits inferior.

The Horn Effect is essentially the opposite of the Halo Effect which is the tendency for positive impressions of a person in one area to positively influence one's opinion or feelings in other areas.

I thought it may be interesting to also bring out the Reverse Halo Effect bias here - where positive perceptions of a person can yield negative consequences.

The clip I have chosen to bring the Horn Effect alive, is in fact touted to be one of the best closing arguments one has seen in a movie. Matthew Mcconaughey, playing a lawyer in 'A Time to Kill' actually plans his statement in a way that leaves no doubt in the mind's of the jury that we are indeed plagued by this bias.

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT. SOME CLIPS MAY HAVE DISTURBING CONTENT. VIEW AT YOUR DISCRETION. NOT FOR KIDS. 

All three of the above biases find their way in every day life, like when a teacher may perceive a well behaved kid as a bright student ( Halo Effect) or an attractive man of woman may be perceived as not being too intelligent (Reverse Halo Effect) or a large dog is assumed to be ferocious (Horn Effect).

The bottom line in all cases is that these perceptions are based on attributes that are unconnected to them. And much like the lawyer in the clip above we need to be able to hold a mirror to ourselves if we want to truly overcome their impact on us. 

___

Thank you for reading this article — I hope you enjoyed it. If so, do share it on your social network via the buttons below. 

If you would like to receive all new posts and exclusive content subscribe to Cacophony To Epiphany by clicking on this link.