Hawthorne Effect
Observer Effect
A type of reactivity in which individuals modify an aspect of their behavior in response to their awareness of being observed.
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Origin
Between 1924 and 1932, researchers at the Western Electric Hawthorne Works factory in Cicero, Illinois studied how changes in lighting and working conditions affected productivity — and found output improved regardless of what was changed. The term was coined by Henry A. Landsberger in his 1958 book Hawthorne Revisited, attributing the gains to the workers' awareness of being observed.
Updated July 22, 2020