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Thinking, Feeling, and Believing Case Study Analysis

Lydia VerVoort

PSYC3520

Thinking, Feeling, and Believing

Capella University

May 19, 2024

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Thinking, Feeling, and Believing Case Study Analysis

Case Study

During this case study, Mark and Joe are in search of dates for a party they are hosting.

Mark is beginning to plan to ask a girl he has seen around the local coffee shop. This is a girl

who he has seen working on her computer, and mentions her being attractive and smart, as well

as stating she must be successful. While he is under the desire to ask this girl he does not know,

based on what he sees, rather than what he knows, Joe mentions still not knowing who to invite.

The advice given to him is to find someone who looks decent and has been seen around the

neighborhood. Joe then mentions someone he has seen at a local bar, although he does not know

her name, it is someone who he feels looks familiar and attractive. Within this case study, there

is mention that they cannot go wrong with local girls as their dates- because if someone would

have heard things within the neighborhood if there was anything worth hearing. The thought

process of Mark and Joe resembles the halo effect clearly.

The halo effect is the belief that people who have one positive trait – such as

attractiveness – will also have other traits – such as intelligence. Certain studies use the halo

effect on the perception of others that automatically occur during interpersonal interactions

(Palmer et al., 2021). The article by Palmer and Peterson (2021) states “Attractiveness effects go

beyond perceptions and influence life success and performance”. When it comes to how the halo

effect is shown within the case study, it is shown in studies that attractive individuals may have

higher levels of education and may spend far more time within schools (Palmer et al., 2021).
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Research Support

Research Summary

In the article “Physical Attractiveness, Halo Effects, and Social Joining” by Carl L.

Palmer and Rolfe Daus Peterson (2021), there is mention of the halo effect and how it

demonstrates a series of powerful effects attractiveness has on many social interactions. It is

pinpointed that physical looks and attraction may influence the development of social capital and

social joining. Within this article, the methods used contain the use of the Wisconsin

Longitudinal Study and a survey experiment. The study showed that individuals who are deemed

as more attractive are more likely to participate in organizations in early adult life (Palmer &

Peterson, 2021). This study further resulted in the realization that individuals who are seen as

more attractive are more likely to be invited to join organizations and informal gatherings. The

authors then noted that the development of social capital differs between individuals in society

(Palmer & Peterson, 2021).

Another article “Experimental Evidence of Observed Social Media Status Cues on

perceived Likability” by Steven W. Bradley, James A. Roberts, and Preston W. Bradley (2019),

mentions research that addresses the importance social media has on relationships and a person’s

perception of themselves. This article mentions the study conducted by a conjoint experiment by

using social exchange and social information processing. This study then uses the expected

likability of social media users with a variation of the social media user’s followers, physical

attractiveness, and the percentage of self-portraits posted (Bradley et al., 2019). The study

showed results congruent with the author’s theory that a higher follower amount equates to a

higher likability.
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Research Interpretation

The article written by Palmer and Peterson (2021) used surveys to see if individuals seen

as attractive are more likely to be involved in social organizations and gatherings than those

individuals that society does not deem as attractive. Palmer and Peterson (2021) concluded that

the halo effect is in fact used as a mechanism for the development of the differences between

social capital and individuals in society.

The article written by Steven W. Bradley, James A. Roberts, and Preston W. Bradley

(2019) conducted a conjoint experiment using social exchange and social information processing

to relate an observers’ likability of social media users with the number of followers,

attractiveness, and selfies the user has. The authors concluded that likability varies with age,

gender, and time on social media (Bradley et al., 2019).

Application of the Halo Effect

The halo effect is seen within the case study in how Mark mentions the girl he is

considering inviting to the party is attractive and smart. He states that he has seen her around a

lot, but he never actually states he has spoken to her or knows her personally. Therefore, the halo

effect shows that because he sees a positive trait within her – her attractiveness – he assumes her

to be intelligent – another positive trait within her, even though he cannot know for sure.

Ethical Reasoning Application

Ethical Concept

Conformity bias favors information that confirms a person’s prior beliefs and/or biases.

They impact how we gather information, as well as how a person interprets and recalls
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information (Cherry, 2020).

Supportive Evidence

Conformity bias can be seen within the case study in how Joe is eager to go along with

how Mark is planning for them to have dates. Joe is willing to conform to what Mark is planning,

based on how they interact. At one point within the case study, Joe asks if this is the best way to

find love and is in turn told that they are not looking for love, just dates to a party. This is

showing that Mark is set in his bias of how he is going to meet women, rather than actually

engaging and properly getting to know them.

Critical Thinking Application

Critical Thinking Issue

The point of view is the way you see something. It is shown in the case study that, to a

degree, Mark and Joe are falling with social values as standards – individuals and social groups

defining social order. Mark and Joe are partaking in society and not necessarily thinking about

what is and is not acceptable, or what is and is not desirable in a partner (Tsirogianni & Sammut,

2014).

Supportive Evidence

The point of view is evident in how Mark speaks about not looking for love, just a date. It

is also evident when he mentions that she is attractive, therefore she must be smart and most

likely successful. He is speaking in a way that makes it seem as though his point of view could

be a spot where he sees that as acceptable – to focus on the attractiveness of a person and

contrive other traits that may not actually be there.

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References

Bradley, S. W., Roberts, J. A., & Bradley, P. W. (2019). Experimental evidence of observed

social media status cues on perceived likability. Psychology of Popular Media, 8(1), 41–

51.

Cherry, K. (2020). How confirmation bias works Links to an external site.. Very Well Mind.

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-confirmation-bias-2795024

Palmer, C. L., & Peterson, R. D. (2021). Physical Attractiveness, Halo Effects, and Social

Joining. Social Science Quarterly., 102(1), 552–566. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.12892

Tsirogianni, S., & Sammut, G. (2014). Transitivity analysis: A framework for the study of

social values in the context of points of view. The British Journal of Social Psychology.,

53(3), 541–556. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12047