If the owner was present or knew the answers to the arithmetic questions, the horse was able to answer correctly 89% of the time. While fraud was not involved, the psychologist observed something interesting. A German psychologist went to study this horse and see if the owner was actually a fraud. In the early 1900s, Wilhelm von Osten claimed that his horse, Clever Hans, could answer arithmetic questions. If the experiments or observers are aware of the desired effect of the study, they might unintentionally skew the results. One last cause of the Hawthorne Effect involves a study that involves humans and a horse. This fear could have serious effects on motivation. They worried that the study may result in layoffs. Throughout the Hawthorne studies, participants started to grow wary of the researchers’ motives. Yet another explanation may lie in the participants’ explanation for the study in the first place. This means working harder, even when variables like working hours or lighting is changed in ways that might contradict the original hypothesis. The participants may have wanted to please the experimenters by giving them the results they wanted to see. That extra observation and feedback could play into increased productivity.Īnother explanation is that the demand effect comes into play. During the Hawthorne studies, it’s possible that the workers received feedback on their productivity as part of the study. Why does this happen? The answers may vary based on the context of the study. ![]() This phenomenon became known as the Hawthorne Effect, named after the Hawthorne Works electric factory where the studies were conducted. No matter how they altered the conditions of the workplace, the workers were more productive. They conducted a study to see whether or not workers in an electric factory would be more productive under certain conditions. These are some of the questions that researchers asked themselves in the 1920s. ![]() Do you think that increased light throughout the factory would make you more productive? What about decreased light throughout the factory?ĭo you think you would be more productive with more working hours in a day? Or would you be more productive with fewer working hours?ĭo you think that longer breaks would make you more productive? Or would shorter breaks make you more productive? ![]() Observation may become a variable of its own that researchers have to account for when setting up or conducting a study. The Hawthorne Effect doesn’t just affect participants. Researchers theorize that researchers may skew the results or interpret it incorrectly due to the Hawthorne Effect. The Hawthorne Effect, also known as the observer-expectancy effect, is the idea that people change or modify their behaviors when they are being observed. Interested in learning about the Hawthorne Effect for your psychology class, or just because you’re curious? You’ve come to the right place! What Is The Hawthorne Effect?
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