Meaning & use
Hawthorne effect
Last updated
UK/ˈhɔːθɔːn ɪˌfekt/
US/ˈhɔːθɔːrn ɪˌfekt/
Meaning
nounsingulartechnical
The tendency of people to change their behavior, often improving it, simply because they know they are being observed.
Grammar: Used with the: the Hawthorne effect.
Patterns
- the Hawthorne effect on something
The Hawthorne effect may explain why productivity rose during the study.
Researchers tried to avoid the Hawthorne effect by hiding the cameras.
Because of the Hawthorne effect, the results may be too good.
Common combinations
- the Hawthorne effect
- The Hawthorne effect threatens the validity of workplace studies.
- avoid the Hawthorne effect
- Blind trials help avoid the Hawthorne effect.
- suffer from the Hawthorne effect
- The experiment suffered from the Hawthorne effect.
- a sign of the Hawthorne effect
- The jump in scores is a sign of the Hawthorne effect.
- account for the Hawthorne effect
- Analysts must account for the Hawthorne effect.
Synonyms and how they differ
- observer effect
- Observer effect is a wider term where measuring changes the thing measured.
- reactivity
- Reactivity is the more technical term in research for response to being studied.
Word family
- Hawthorne proper noun
- The plant where early studies took place.
Commonly confused: Hawthorne effect or placebo effect?
Hawthorne effect vs placebo effect
The placebo effect comes from expectation of treatment, not from being watched.
Practice
The Hawthorne effect happens when people:
Choose one answer.
The effect is about being watched. Fake treatment relates to placebo.
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