Hawthorne effect

plural Hawthorne effects

1. A phenomenon whereby a change in the behavior of a subject being studied is an effect of the change itself or the fact of being observed rather than the nature of the change in question.

   Even if methodological shortcomings were waived, there is no proof of a Hawthorne effect in the original data.

   2006 October, Michiel AJ Kompier, “The “Hawthorne effect” is a myth, but what keeps the story going?”, in Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, volume 32, number 5, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 402–412

   1 more example

   In modern organizations, a Hawthorne effect might occur when a relatively trivial change is made in a person's job, and that person initially responds to this change very positively but the effect does not last long.

   2002, Steve M. Jex, Organizational Psychology: A Scientist-Practitioner Approach, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 13

   Synonyms: observer bias