Hawthorne Effect

Claim that being observed changes behavior; named for productivity studies whose own evidence is now disputed.

Specifications & Metrics

type

Applied

introduced

1953

originator

John R. P. French coined the term (1953), naming it for the Western Electric Hawthorne Works studies

replication

Contested — the recovered illumination data show only slight long-run evidence (Levitt & List 2011)

Core Principles & Analysis

• John R. P. French coined the term in 1953, after the Hawthorne Works studies run from 1924 to 1932 near Chicago.
• Levitt and List recovered the illumination data in 2011 and found only slight long-run evidence, far from the dramatic gains claimed.
• The term survives in research design, where observation effects are a standard threat to validity.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Hawthorne effect