SOC 201 Chapter 6: Chapter 6.9
Document Summary
The increase in productivity in both cases was caused simply by participation in an experiment! The hawthorne effect (as it is now called) is an example of what social researchers call the reactive effects of research. We know now that reactive effects are not limited to experiments but can take place when there is contact between researcher and subject or when subjects know they are the objects of research. The problem with this description is that it"s essentially misleading. A series of experiments was done at western electric"s hawthorne plant but, in retrospect, the research plan was problematic. Because of the study"s flaws, some social scientists refer to the hawthorne effect as nothing more than a glorified anecdote. But social scientists tend to accept the point of the hawthorne effect: Care must be taken to avoid reactive effects that cause the research process to influence the outcome.
