Research Note—Should Consumers Use the Halo to Form Product Evaluations?
用决策理论框架证明，在属性信息缺失或难判断时，使用光环效应（即用整体印象推断具体属性）能降低估计风险、实现效用最大化，说明该行为是理性的。
In purchase situations where attribute information is either missing or difficult to judge, a well-known heuristic that consumers use to form evaluations is the halo effect. The psychology literature has widely considered the halo a reflection of consumers' inability to discriminate between different attributes and have therefore labeled it the “halo error” or the “logical error.” The objective of this paper is to offer a rationale for the halo effect. We use a decision-theory framework to show that the halo is consistent with the goal of minimizing estimation risk. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we demonstrate that a decision using the halo has lower estimation risk compared to not using the halo heuristic. Therefore, using the halo results in utility maximization and is indicative of rational behavior.