This study examined whether elderly people would show the typical halo
effect of attributing more desirable personality traits to those indi
viduals who have attractive faces (Dion, Bercheid & Walster, 1972). It
was predicted that age should bring wisdom, leading to the eliminatio
n of this judgmental bias in older people. Fifty-two female subjects (
aged 65 or above) were required to match photographs of stimulus perso
ns (attractive or unattractive) with descriptive paragraphs (positive
or negative). Contrary to predictions, the usual halo effect occurred:
positive personality characteristics were attributed more frequently
to the attractive individuals, indicating that this bias occurs across
the life-span, from childhood to old age. Also, female faces were jud
ged more positively than male faces.