Hawthorne Effect
The Hawthorne Effect, also called the Observer Effect, is where people in studies change their behaviour because they are watched.
The Hawthorne effect is named after a series of experiments that took place at the Western Electric factory in Hawthorne, a suburb of Chicago. The Western Electric Company was the sole supplier of telephone equipment to AT&T at the time and the Hawthorne plant was a state-of-the art plant that employed about 35,000 people. The experiments were intended to study the effects lighting levels had on output. The hypothesis evolved and groups of workers were studied to see if different lighting levels, levels of cleanliness or different placement of workstations affected output.
The major finding was that no matter what change the workers were exposed to, output improved. But, production went back to normal at the end of the study. This suggested watched employees worked harder.
- A study from the University of Newcastle shows that simply placing a poster of a pair of eyes next to a bike rack reduced theft by 65%
- Using mirrors can mimic this effect by making people feel more self-conscious
- People might use this strategy in the kitchen to persuade themselves to eat more healthily
- The influence of being watched: teens vs adults
Truman Show