The finding that individuals' performance may be altered if they are subjects in an experimental treatment is known as the
A) treatment effect.
B) experimenter effect.
C) placebo effect.
D) Hawthorne effect.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Hawthorne effect refers to changes in behavior or performance that may occur simply as a result of being observed or participating in an experimental study, rather than due to the experimental treatment itself. This effect was first observed in a set of studies conducted at the Hawthorne Works factory in the 1920s and 1930s, in which workers' productivity was found to increase regardless of changes in working conditions or incentives, likely due to the attention they received during the study.

The Finding That Individuals' Performance May Be Altered If They