# Hawthorne effect

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A phenomenon whereby a change in the behavior of a subject being studied is an effect of the change itself or the fact of being observed rather than the nature of the change in question.

## Etymology
Coined by American social psychologist John R. P. French in 1953 after a 1924–1932 study conducted by Elton Mayo at the Hawthorne Works, a large factory complex in Cicero, Illinois (formerly Hawthorne).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hawthorne-effect