The modification of behaviour by study participants in response to their knowledge that they are being observed or singled out for special treatment is known as:

1. A

   Reactive effect

2. B

   Hawthorne effect

3. C

   Novelty effect

4. D

   Experimental effect

Appeared in: MNS 2024

Explanation

• The Hawthorne effect specifically refers to the phenomenon where study participants modify their behavior because they know they are being observed.
• This effect was famously identified in studies at the Hawthorne Works plant, where worker productivity improved with any change in conditions, suggesting the improvement was due to the attention they received, not the changes themselves.
• It is a form of reactivity where the act of observation itself becomes an intervention, potentially confounding the study's results.
• This makes it difficult to isolate the true effect of the independent variable being studied.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

• Option A: The reactive effect is a broader term that encompasses any change in behavior due to being in a study. The Hawthorne effect is a more specific type of reactive effect related to the awareness of being observed.
• Option C: The novelty effect is related to the introduction of something new, causing a temporary change in behavior due to interest or excitement, not simply due to observation.
• Option D: The experimental effect refers to the changes caused by the independent variable itself, or it can refer to 'experimenter effects,' which are biases introduced by the researcher's expectations or actions, not the participant's awareness of being watched.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

• Nursing practice connection: Knowing Research Biases and Effects helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
• In clinical research, the Hawthorne effect can lead to an overestimation of a new treatment's effectiveness because patients may report feeling better or adhere more strictly to protocols simply because they are receiving special attention from healthcare staff.
• Nurses conducting quality improvement projects (e.g., testing a new hand hygiene protocol) must be aware that staff might improve their compliance just because they know they're being monitored, not necessarily because the new protocol is better.
• What if? If a study on a new nursing intervention shows positive results, but the control group received no attention, the results might be due to the Hawthorne effect. To mitigate this, researchers should ensure the control group also receives a similar level of attention (an 'attention control' group) to isolate the intervention's true effect.

How to Approach the Question

• First, read the question carefully to identify the core concept. The stem describes a specific phenomenon: 'modification of behaviour...in response to their knowledge that they are being observed'.
• Analyze the keywords: 'behavior modification', 'knowledge of being observed', 'special treatment'.
• Evaluate each option against this core concept.
• Recall or deduce the specific definition for each term. The Hawthorne effect directly matches the description of behavior changing due to observation.
• Eliminate the other options by identifying their distinct meanings: 'Reactive effect' is too broad, 'Novelty effect' relates to newness, and 'Experimental effect' relates to the intervention or the experimenter.
• Confirm that the Hawthorne effect is the most precise and fitting term for the scenario described.

Concept Tested & Keywords

• Concept Tested: Research Biases and Effects
• Stem keywords: modification of behaviour, study participants, being observed, special treatment
• Lead-in keywords: known as
• Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QUpmSy8Jnc0XoNYWNvYJhP

Copy ID

Reference Book

E6 NursingResearch Polit 11e Part 1 p. 202-204