Affect at work linked to better performance, not bias in ratings
Interpersonal affect can impact job performance ratings, but it may not necessarily create bias. A field study with 85 raters and 404 ratees found that affect was related to all ratings, especially trait-like ratings. Keeping performance diaries actually strengthened the relationship between affect and ratings. This suggests that affect might be a result of better performance rather than biasing ratings. The content of the diaries supported this conclusion.