Practice Quiz

Child Psych

Category - Research & Stats

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Psychologists often rely on rating scales for the assessment of children’s behavior. One potential problem with rating scales is known as the “halo effect.” Which of the following scenarios best describes ratings possibly contaminated by the halo effect?
  1. A child receives a 4 out of 5 rating on one area of personality functioning and receives the same rating on every other area of personality functioning.
  2. A child was evaluated with a rating scale the year before and was rated 4 out of 5 on a particular area of behavior. The same rating scale is used on the same child a year later, and the rating remains the same.
  3. Two children are rated by the same person with the same rating scale. The first child receives high ratings, and so does the second child.
  4. Two children are rated by the same person with the same rating scale. After giving a poor rating to one child, the rater, not wanting to have poor ratings across the board, gives another child a high rating.
Explanation
Answer: A - A halo effect refers to the tendency, after assigning a high rating for an individual in one area, to assign high ratings for that person in every other area, even when the two areas of behavior are not related. Unless the rater is careful to evaluate each area of behavior on its own, the overall rating will be inflated and inaccurate.
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