Hawthorne effect

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.

Hawthorne effect

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hawthorne effect¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hawthorne effect¹

from the Western Electric Company's Hawthorne works in Chicago, USA, where it was discovered during experiments in the 1920s

Example Sentences

Sometims the "success" of the earlier project was simply a result of random chance, or what researchers call the Hawthorne Effect.

From The Daily Beast