Hawthorne effect

American  

noun

Psychology.

1. a positive change in the performance of a group of persons taking part in an experiment or study due to their perception of being singled out for special consideration.

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Hawthorne effect British  

/ ˈhɔːˌθɔːn /

noun

1. improvement in the performance of employees, students, etc, brought about by making changes in working methods, resulting from research into means of improving performance Compare iatrogenic placebo effect

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Etymology

Origin of Hawthorne effect

First recorded in 1960–65; after the Hawthorne Works of the Western Electric Company, Cicero, Ill., where such an effect was observed in experiments

Example Sentences

And while this could be understood as a sort of Hawthorne effect particular to this experiment as a whole, it is hardly unique.

From Washington Post • Feb. 3, 2022

Even for the most well-meaning researcher, accurate measurement of changes to symptoms can be a challenge for a number of reasons, one of which is a phenomenon known as the Hawthorne effect.

From Salon • Mar. 6, 2021

This phenomenon came to be known as the Hawthorne effect.

From Time Magazine Archive

Gawande and his colleagues note in the study that a phenomenon called the "Hawthorne effect" may be largely responsible for the checklist's success.

From Time Magazine Archive

The report did not assess the "Hawthorne effect,"* which guarantees the initial success of most sociological experiments because people react favorably when attention in any form is paid to them.

From Time Magazine Archive