What is the contrast effect in social psychology?

The contrast effect refers to the way our perceptions and evaluations of people or situations can be influenced by recent encounters or experiences. When we meet someone new or evaluate a situation right after a different one, our judgment is often affected by those prior experiences. For example, if someone has just met a very unfriendly person, they may then perceive a moderately friendly person as significantly more appealing in contrast. This demonstrates how our evaluations are not absolute but relative to what we have recently encountered.

This effect is crucial in social psychology as it highlights the fluidity of human judgments and perceptions based on context and comparison. It illustrates that our assessments can be skewed based on the immediate social environment, which can have implications across various situations, such as dating, job evaluations, and social interactions.