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social psychology
You assign positive character traits based on physical appearance.
A 1920 study by Edward Thorndike identified a general 'halo effect' in human judgment, where an overall positive impression of a person influences the rating of unrelated specific traits.
The specific correlation where attractiveness is perceived as intelligence is known as the 'what is beautiful is good' stereotype, which was scientifically validated later by Dion, Berscheid, and Walster in 1972.
You are judging the competence of others based on visual cues.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Edward Thorndike, 1920
- What the check found
- Thorndike's 1920 study focused on military personnel ratings where overall impressions skewed specific trait assessments; it did not isolate 'attractiveness' as the cause for 'intelligence' ratings.
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.