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You change your own behavior when being watched.
The 'Hawthorne effect' is a popular but scientifically contested term used to describe the hypothesis that subjects change their behavior due to being observed, although the original 1920s studies are often cited as evidence despite methodological flaws.
The original Hawthorne experiments produced inconsistent, ambiguous data rather than the definitive increase in productivity described in popular narrative.
You are never acting like yourself while you are being watched.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Hawthorne effect, 1920s
- What the check found
- While the term exists, the historical claim that these specific studies proved a consistent 'observation effect' is scientifically controversial and not well-supported by the actual data from the Hawthorne Works.
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.