What is the contrast effect in evaluations?

The contrast effect in evaluations occurs when the assessment of a person's performance is influenced by comparing them to others rather than evaluating them based on their own merits. This can lead to inflated or deflated ratings depending on the performance of those around them. For example, if a supervisor evaluates an employee immediately after a particularly poor-performing colleague, the next evaluation might seem more favorable than it truly is when considered independently.

In contrast, making evaluations in isolation would mean assessing individuals without considering how they stand relative to their peers, which can minimize biases introduced by the performance of others. Using a uniform rating scale provides consistency in evaluating performance but does not directly relate to the comparison of individuals. Evaluating based on collective performance overlooks the individual contributions and instead focuses on group dynamics, which diverts attention from individual assessment influenced by the contrast effect. Thus, altering ratings based on comparisons encapsulates the essence of the contrast effect clearly and accurately.