Ursula works in an office. One day, her boss tells her that researchers will be in the office to observe productivity. Because she knows she is being observed, Ursula finds that she is working harder than she normally does. What is this an example of?
A) the placebo effect.
B) the Heisenberg principle
C) a single-blind study
D) the Hawthorne effect

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is an example of the Hawthorne effect, which occurs when people modify their behavior because they know they are being observed. This effect is named after a series of studies done at the Hawthorne Works factory in Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s, where researchers found that worker productivity improved simply because the workers knew they were being observed.

Ursula Works in an Office