Once we form a Gestalt about a person, it influences how we interpret that person’s subsequent communication and the attributions we make regarding that individual. For example, think about someone for whom you’ve formed a strongly positive Gestalt. Now imagine that this person discloses a dark secret: he or she lied to a lover or cheated on exams. Because of your positive Gestalt, you may dismiss the significance of this behavior, telling yourself instead that the person “had no choice” or “wasn’t acting normally.” This tendency to positively interpret what someone says or does because we have a positive Gestalt of them is known as the halo effect .

The counterpart of the halo effect is the horn effect , the tendency to negatively interpret the communication and behavior of people for whom we have negative Gestalts. Call to mind someone you can’t stand. Imagine that this person discloses the same secret as the individual described above. Although the information in both cases is the same, you would likely chalk up this individual’s unethical behavior to bad character or lack of values.