ask for effect.

[blwings]

He doesn't like her. "Let me see your badge," the man says, but Lila Mae's hand is already fishing in her jacket pocket. She flips open her identification and holds it up to the man's face. He doesn't bother to look at it. He just asked for effect.

I met this part while I'm reading Whitehead's The Intuitionist.
I wonder what does 'ask for effect' mean here.

 

[emsr2d2]

It means that he didn't really need to look at the ID card. He insisted on asking for her ID simply because he could. It might be intended to show that not only does he not like her (opening sentence) but also that he doesn't respect her.

 

[probus]

Another possible explanation is that he is just a petty tyrant.