Russ has been on time for work all year, consistently going above and beyond his duties. However, in the month before his performance appraisal, he had the flu and his whole family became sick, causing him to frequently be absent and exhibit lower-than-normal performance. As a result, his annual performance appraisal was somewhat negative. It is likely that Russ's boss committed which of the following perceptual errors?
A) impression management
B) self-fulfilling prophecy
C) recency effect
D) primacy effect

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Russ's boss likely committed the recency effect error, which occurs when recent information or events are given more weight than earlier ones. In this case, Russ's recent absences and lower performance due to illness were considered more heavily than his year-long record of punctuality and high performance.

Russ Has Been on Time for Work All Year, Consistently