ExampleĪ study of hand-washing among medical staff found that when the staff knew they were being watched, compliance with hand-washing was 55% greater than when they were not being watched ( Eckmanns 2006). For example, recommending individuals who want to lose weight should keep a diary of what they eat and drink.

The Hawthorne effect can also lead to the observation being the intervention. The increased attention focussed on the workers as part of the study led to temporary increases in production (the Hawthorne effect) as opposed to changes in working practices The original Hawthorne study looked at changing the amount of light at the Hawthorne Works and its impact on working practices.

It can also contaminate an intervention study if one of the control groups changes its behaviour because it is being observed more frequently than the other. a survey of smoking by watching people during work breaks might lead to observing much lower smoking rates than is genuinely representative of the population under study. It can affect all sorts of behaviours such as dietary habits, or hygiene practices because these have considerable opportunity for instantaneous modification. The Hawthorne effect occurs when people behave differently because they know they are being watched.

Data dredging sociology