Negative Halo Effect Research Articles

Negative halo effects of sustainable packaging

AbstractMore firms are adopting “green packaging” due to regulatory and environmental concerns. The alcoholic beverage industry has recently joined the lobby and major producers have introduced creative paper bottles for their alcoholic drinks. Previous research on sustainable labeling (e.g., eco‐friendly labels) has shown the positive halo effect where sustainable labeling induces positive evaluations. In contrast, our research aims to reveal the negative halo effects of sustainable packaging in the case of paper‐bottled alcoholic beverages. Across three studies, we explore consumers' perceptions toward alcoholic drinks packed in innovative paper bottles. Studies 1–2 demonstrate that consumers hold inferior expectations (i.e., sensory attributes, price, and purchase likelihood) toward alcoholic beverages packed in paper bottles. Study 3 demonstrates that the enforced messaging and attractive packaging can mitigate the negative halo effect for self‐consumption and gifting. These findings contribute to the literature on sustainable packaging, especially in the novel space of paper‐bottled alcoholic drinks.

Increased Behavioral Sensitivity to Repeated Experiences of Punishment in Children With ADHD: Experimental Studies Using the Matching Law

Background: Research on altered motivational processes in ADHD has focused on reward. The sensitivity of children with ADHD to punishment has received limited attention. We evaluated the effects of punishment on the behavioral allocation of children with and without ADHD from the United States, New Zealand, and Japan, applying the generalized matching law. Methods: Participants in two studies (Furukawa et al., 2017, 2019) were 210 English-speaking (145 ADHD) and 93 Japanese-speaking (34 ADHD) children. They completed an operant task in which they chose between playing two simultaneously available games. Rewards became available every 10 seconds on average, arranged equally across the two games. Responses on one game were punished four times as often as responses on the other. The asymmetrical punishment schedules should bias responding to the less punished alternative. Results: Compared with controls, children with ADHD from both samples allocated significantly more responses to the less frequently punished game, suggesting greater behavioral sensitivity to punishment. For these children, the bias toward the less punished alternative increased with time on task. Avoiding the more punished game resulted in missed reward opportunities and reduced earnings. English-speaking controls showed some preference for the less punished game. The behavior of Japanese controls was not significantly influenced by the frequency of punishment, despite slowed response times after punished trials and immediate shifts away from the punished game, indicating awareness of punishment. Conclusion: Punishment exerted greater control over the behavior of children with ADHD, regardless of their cultural background. This may be a common characteristic of the disorder. Avoidance of punishment led to poorer task performance. Caution is required in the use of punishment, especially with children with ADHD. The group difference in punishment sensitivity was more pronounced in the Japanese sample; this may create a negative halo effect for children with ADHD in this culture.

When Bad Becomes Worse: Unethical Corporate Behavior May Hamper Consumer Acceptance of Cultured Meat

Cultured meat is an emerging food innovation that promises to be a more sustainable alternative to conventional meat. However, despite its potential health, environmental and animal welfare benefits, research suggests that consumer acceptance of cultured meat is not assured. Across two pre-registered experimental studies (N = 456), this article investigates the extent to which two different credence characteristics, namely corporate social responsibility (Study 1) and food safety (Study 2), lead to halo-based inferences that may affect the consumer acceptance of cultured meat. Results indicate that, whereas the halo effect of positive corporate behavior is negligible, negative corporate behavior yields a substantial negative halo effect on consumers’ attitudes towards cultured meat, which in turn decreases acceptance of cultured meat. Findings also reveal that these negative halo-based inferences are heightened among consumers who value highly corporate social responsibility (Study 1) and food safety (Study 2). Overall, this article reveals an asymmetric halo effect by showing that people tend to react strongly to negative, but not to positive, information about a cultured meat company. The implications of the present research are discussed in the conclusion.

Is unnatural unhealthy? Think about it: Overcoming negative halo effects from food labels

AbstractConsumer advocates and regulators champion the view that transparent labeling practices will help consumers make better decisions. However, it is unclear how unnatural nutritional claims (e.g., artificial ingredients, food additives, genetically modified organisms) affect perceptions of packaged food. Many researchers have cautioned that such labels can be commonly misinterpreted and can further stigmatize food produced by conventional processes. Building on the selective accessibility model, we propose that unnatural nutritional claims on front‐of‐package food labeling may induce a negative health halo effect. Accessibility of information consistent with a target concept (e.g., a claim on a food label) shapes consumer inferences and evaluations of an associated product (e.g., the packaged food) in the same direction. We propose that such nutritional claims can lead to higher calorie estimates and therefore biased food decisions. Furthermore, we examine the moderating effect of dispositional critical thinking, priming opposing beliefs, and activating causal reasoning to help mitigate on the negative health halo. We test these predictions across five experiments. Together, these findings advance our understanding of the halo effect, inference, and persuasion, and they suggest strategies for helping consumers make more informed health‐related judgments and decisions.

Negative Halo Effects in Parent Ratings of ADHD, ODD, and CD

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), and Conduct Disorder (CD) are highly comorbid, with symptoms that share some similarities. The evidence-based diagnostic process for these disorders includes ratings from adults in the child’s life to assess behavior across settings, so it is important to understand how these raters think about potentially overlapping symptoms. Researchers have identified negative halo effects in ratings of ADHD and ODD symptoms, but ratings of CD have not been examined in these prior studies. Thus, the current study extended past research to examine negative halo effects in parent ratings of the predominantly hyperactive-impulsive presentation of ADHD (i.e., ADHD/HI), ODD, and CD. Parent participants read one of four vignettes that portrayed an 11-year-old boy displaying symptoms of ADHD/HI, ODD, CD, or typical development, and then completed a disruptive behavior scale. The general trend we found was that the presence of a relatively more severe disorder (i.e., CD) artificially inflated ratings of - or showed a negative halo effect for - the relatively less severe disorder (i.e., ADHD/HI), but with some nuance as discussed in the paper. These findings explain and validate how important it is that clinicians conduct evidence-based psychological assessments to decrease the chance of misdiagnosis.

Sustainable firms and legitimacy: Corporate venture capital as an effective endorsement

ABSTRACT This empirical study investigates the legitimizing effects of the presence of different investor types supporting entrepreneurial ventures. These effects may differ for sustainable ventures that face greater liabilities of newness due to powerful incumbents and negative halo effects of prominent failures. Drawing on institutional theory, this study developed and tested a model of investor legitimization with data on 184 entrepreneurial ventures using negative binomial regression. Findings suggest that the legitimizing effects of investor types for sustainable ventures differ from those of other ventures. In particular, corporate venture capital seems to legitimize sustainable ventures in a manner unlike other venture types.

A negative halo effect for stuttering? The consequences of stuttering for romantic desirability are mediated by perceptions of personality traits, self-esteem, and intelligence

ABSTRACT Stuttering is a disorder in oral communication that is often accompanied by negative stereotypes and social stigma. The primary goal of the present study was to examine whether opposite-sex perceivers rated the romantic desirability of targets who stuttered differently than targets who did not stutter. We were also interested in examining whether perceptions of the target (i.e., extraversion, emotional stability, self-esteem, and intelligence) would mediate the associations between stuttering and romantic desirability in a zero-acquaintance situation. Results showed that targets who stuttered were perceived to be less romantically desirable than targets who did not stutter. Further, the negative association between stuttering and romantic desirability was mediated by the perceived extraversion, self-esteem, and intelligence of the targets. Discussion will focus on the implications of these results for the understanding of the negative halo effect for stuttering.

Halo and spillover effect illustrations for selected beneficial medical devices and drugs.

BackgroundNegative news media reports regarding potential health hazards of implanted medical devices and pharmaceuticals can lead to a ‘negative halo effect,’ a phenomenon whereby judgments about a product or product type can be unconsciously altered even though the scientific support is tenuous. To determine how a ‘negative halo effect’ may impact the rates of use and/or explantation of medical products, we analyzed the occurrence of such an effect on three implanted medical devices and one drug: 1) intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs); 2) silicone gel-filled breast implants (SGBI); 3) metal-on-metal hip implants (MoM); and 4) the drug Tysabri.MethodsData on IUD use from 1965 to 2008 were gathered from the Department of Health and Human Services Vital and Health Statistics and peer-reviewed publications. Data regarding SGBI implant and explantation rates from 1989 to 2012 were obtained from the Institute of Medicine and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. MoM implant and explantation data were extracted from the England and Wales National Joint Registry and peer-reviewed publications. Tysabri patient data were reported by Elan Corporation or Biogen Idec Inc. Data trends for all products were compared with historical recall or withdrawal events and discussed in the context of public perceptions following such events.ResultsWe found that common factors altered public risk perceptions and patterns of continued use. First, a negative halo effect may be driven by continuing patient anxiety despite positive clinical outcomes. Second, negative reports about one product can spill over to affect the use of dissimilar products in the same category. Third, a negative halo effect on an entire category of medical devices can be sustained regardless of the scientific findings pertaining to safety. Fourth, recovery of a product’s safety reputation and prevalent use may take decades in the U.S., even while these products may exhibit widespread use and good safety records in other countries.ConclusionsWe conclude that the ‘negative halo effect’ associated with a stigma, rather than an objective risk-benefit assessment of medical products can increase negative health outcomes for patients due to reduced or inappropriate product usage.

Globalization and the environmental impact of sectoral FDI

We analyze the environmental impact of capital inflows and investigate the halo effect (FDI improves the environment). We control for the type of FDI inflows, the EKC (Environmental Kuznets Curve) effect and the country income level, and find (i) a differential industry effect: FDI flows into manufacturing increase pollution (negative halo effect), while those flowing into services support the halo effect hypothesis; (ii) an income inequality effect: FDI flowing into low- and middle-income countries degrades the environment, while flows to high-income countries benefit the environment and support a halo effect; (iii) support for the EKC effect if capital flows into agriculture and services in poorer countries and into mining and manufacturing in wealthier economies. We show that studies relying only on firm-level or aggregate data miss the sectoral spillovers, and thus may lead to misleading conclusions.

Negative Halo Effects in Parent Ratings of ADHD and ODD

Parent ratings of ADHD and ODD symptoms depicted in written vignettes were examined for negative halo effects. Participants were 82 parents of children ages 6–12. Both unidirectional and bidirectional halo effects were found but to a lesser extent than in similar studies with teacher and college student raters. Specifically, parents were more likely to: (a) rate a child as inattentive in the presence of hyperactivity symptoms; (b) more likely to rate a child as oppositional in the presence of inattention and hyperactivity symptoms; and (c) more likely to rate a child as inattentive and hyperactive in the presence of oppositionality symptoms. Several specific symptoms were also found to be particularly susceptible to halo effects. Results suggest that parents may be more discerning raters of disruptive behavior disorders than teachers or college students and less prone to negative halo effects. Implications for clinical practice and future research directions are discussed.

The impact of increasing course enrolment on student evaluation of teaching in engineering education

ABSTRACTStudent evaluation of teaching (SET) is important, commonplace and may be used in staff performance management. The SET literature suggests that class size is a negative systematic influence on SET ratings. In this paper we investigate time-series SET data from a large first-year engineering class where a decline in SET ratings was observed over time as course enrolment increased. We observe a negative halo effect of increasing class size on mean SET ratings and conclude that increasing course enrolment leads to a significant reduction in all mean SET ratings, even when the course learning design remains essentially unchanged. We also find an additional differential effect of increasing course enrolment on mean SET ratings. We observe that the marginal reduction in mean SET ratings for each additional student in the course enrolment is greater for those aspects of the student learning experience that are likely to be most directly impacted by increasing class size. We provide implications for practice from these findings.

Examining the relationship between language divergence and word-of-mouth intentions

More than half of the countries in the world are multilingual, and more than half the world's consumers speak more than one language. Thus, bilingual consumers often receive services provided in a second or nonnative language. This article examines these consumers' word-of-mouth intentions after a service provision in a second language. Two studies show that consumers served in a second language are less likely to spread positive word of mouth. The results also reveal a negative halo effect, such that consumers served in a second language perceive the service provider as less responsive in general. Furthermore, the service provider's perceived responsiveness appears far more important for determining positive word-of-mouth intentions than other factors, such as service reliability. This study therefore contributes to the fields of service and sociolinguistics, with important implications for managers as well.

Examining a negative halo effect to anabolic steroids users through perceived achievement goals, sportspersonship orientations, and aggressive tendencies

We investigated the social image of anabolic steroids (AS) users grounding our analysis on the achievement goal theory of Nicholls. Our main goal was to explore how an athlete's acceptance of AS use would impact on the way that athlete will be perceived by others. Non-AS-using participants reacted to one of two scenarios portraying a male athlete either accepting or refusing to engage in drug use behavior. The results suggested that the acceptance of anabolic steroids yielded an unfavorable social image--perceivers inferred a predominant ego orientation to characterize the AS-user's motivation as well as weaker sportspersonship and a stronger proclivity for reactive aggression than instrumental aggression. Moreover, the analyses did not yield significant gender or interaction effects. Finally, those findings are commented in view of methodological shortcomings and of the perspectives that they may offer for future research concerning the motivational aspects of the social perceptions of drug use in sport.

The Relationship Between Supervisor Personality, Supervisors’ Perceived Stress and Workplace Bullying

This study investigated the relationship between supervisor personality and subordinate reports of exposure to bullying and harassment at work. Three research questions were examined: (a) Is there a direct relationship between supervisor personality and reports of workplace bullying? (b) Is there an interaction between supervisor personality and supervisors’ perceived stress as predictors of workplace bullying? (c) Will subordinates who experience bullying at their workplace rate their supervisor’s personality more negatively (negative halo effect)? The sample consisted of 207 supervisors and employees within 70 Norwegian restaurants. Supervisors low on conscientiousness, high on neuroticism and portraying high levels of exposure to stress were the subject of significantly more reports from subordinates of exposure to workplace bullying. An interaction between agreeableness and stress was found showing that agreeableness is related to bullying under low levels of stress. In addition, subordinates who perceived their supervisor as being low on agreeableness and high on introversion reported significantly more workplace bullying, supporting a negative halo effect hypothesis.

Biases in Ratings of Disruptive Behavior in Children

Objective: Behavior disorders are more prevalent among boys than girls, but the etiology of this difference is unclear. Studies have not tested for sex bias in ratings as a contributing factor to the differential sex prevalence rates. However, there are several studies showing “negative halo effects” in ratings of boys (i.e., the presence of one type of behavior artificially inflating ratings of another behavior). These findings have only been extended to girls in one recent study. The current study is designed to test for sex difference in (a) ratings of boys and girls who exhibit the same degree of disruptive behavior and (b) negative halo effects. Method: Two hundred and thirty-nine college students participated. Sex differences in ratings are not found. Nonetheless, bidirectional negative halo effects are found for boys and girls (i.e., the presence of oppositionality artificially increased ratings of inattention and hyperactivity; the presence of inattention and hyperactivity artificially increased oppositionality).

Less is more: Virginia's Performance Outcomes Measurement System.

Public mental health authorities are faced with the responsibility of containing costs, improving quality, and providing greater accountability. In response, a number of states began developing mechanisms to assess consumer outcomes and provider performance. In the late 1990s Virginia took a proactive stance by pilot testing the Performance and Outcome Measurement System (POMS), which was based on the ConsumerOriented Report Card of the Mental Health Statistics Improvement Program (MHSIP). The Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services implemented the pilot project at eight sites. Implementing POMS statewide was intended to serve two major purposes: it would continuously improve the quality of services, and it would increase accountability for taxpayer dollars. POMS was designed by a committee that included major stakeholder groups: consumers, family members, and providers. This committee also oversaw the implementation of the pilot project and obtained input from a wider array of stakeholders throughout the implementation process. In early 1997 six community mental health centers and two state hospitals were selected to participate in the pilot project. Two sites each were selected to represent adult mental health, child and adolescent mental health, adult substance abuse, and inpatient services. A total of 46 different indicators were tested across the four populations. The goals of the pilot project were to determine which of these indicators provided the most useful information at the lowest cost and to develop recommendations for improving POMS and for implementing the program statewide. The pilot project took place from 1997 to 1999.

Observed classroom behavior of children with ADHD: relationship to gender and comorbidity.

Examined hypothesized gender and comorbidity differences in the observed classroom behavior of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The behavior of 403 boys and 99 girls with ADHD, ages 7-10, was compared (a) to observed, sex-specific classroom behavior norms, (b) by sex, and (c) by comorbid subgroups. Boys and girls with ADHD deviated significantly from classroom norms on 15/16 and 13/16 categories, respectively. Compared to comparison girls, girls with ADHD had relatively high rates of verbal aggression to children. Boys with ADHD engaged in more rule-breaking and externalizing behaviors than did girls with ADHD, but the sexes did not differ on more "neutral," unobtrusive behaviors. The sex differences are consistent with notions of why girls with ADHD are identified and referred later than boys. Contrary to hypothesis, the presence of comorbid anxiety disorder (ANX) was not associated with behavioral suppression; yet, as hypothesized, children with a comorbid disruptive behavior disorder (DBD) had higher rates of rule-breaking, and impulsive and aggressive behavior, than did children with ADHD alone and those with ADHD+ANX. Elevated rates of ADHD behaviors were also observed in children with comorbid DBD, indicating that these behaviors are truly present and suggesting that reports of higher ADHD ratings in this subgroup are not simply a consequence of negative halo effects and rater biases.

Derogation of student female athletes who consult a sport psychologist: An alternative perspective on the negative halo effect

This study attempts to further research female student athletes' perceptions of the sport psychologist and other sport and mental health professionals. 90 British student athletes from 17 different sports completed a two-part questionnaire to examine the potential derogation effect as a result of consulting one of three identified professionals and to explore the perceived definition and role of the sport psychologist. A fictitious selection report of a female field hockey player was presented to subjects with coach, sport psychologist and psychotherapist as the three professionals. It was hypothesised that subjects' recommendations regarding selection would differ depending on the consultant used. No differences were found which suggests the absence of a negative halo effect and that derogation would not occur within this sample group. Definitions and perceived role of the sport psychologist varied with the subjective tone of the responses from participants being mainly positive (74%). These results indicate that this female student athlete sample has a moderated, even a positive, perception of the sport psychologist. A general acceptance of the sport psychologist falls in line with the suggestions of Murstein and Fontaine (1993) concerning a reported increase in acceptance of mental health professionals.

Factors influencing elementary school teachers' ratings of ADHD and ODD behaviors

Examined factors that influence teachers' ratings of children with either attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or oppositional deficit disorder (ODD). 105 teachers watched 2 videotapes-1 depicting a normal child and the other a child with either ADHD or ODD--and rated each child using 2 different questionnaires. Results indicated that teachers accurately rated the child on the ADHD versus ODD tape as having significantly more inattention and hyperactivity but significantly less oppositionality. However, effect sizes indicated the presence of a unidirectional, negative halo effect of oppositional behaviors on ratings of hyperactivity and inattention. Teachers appeared less biased in their judgments when using a well operationalized rating scale. Finally, knowledge, education, and experience with children with ADHD generally had no effect on the accuracy of teachers' ratings.

Shrinking Jocks: Derogation of Athletes Who Consult a Sport Psychologist

Two experiments tested the hypothesis that athletes who consult a sport psychologist to improve performance are derogated by the public compared to athletes who attempt to resolve the same issues by working with their coaches. In the first experiment a college quarterback was reported to have worked with either his coaches or a sport psychologist on improving his consistency. The primary dependent variable was how strongly subjects would recommend drafting the player in question. There was a significant main effect for the coach versus sport psychologist variable, no main effect for the type of problem, and no interaction effect. A set of 10 bipolar scales were analyzed to explore the attributions associated with the draft rating. The second experiment investigated whether the negative halo effect would occur in other sports and apply to players in peripheral as well as central positions. The results indicated that the negative halo effect occurred for a basketball guard on the draft rating but not for a center, a pitcher, or an outfielder. However, a MANOVA of the 10 scales revealed a main effect for the consultant variable. The results of the two experiments were discussed in relation to theories of deviance and stigmatization.