Reflections on the Hawthorne Effect created by Frank Merrett

When researchers carry out an experiment, they do so in a systematic and regulated manner, attempting to note all of the circumstances and outcomes very carefully, so that they can come to some firm conclusions about causes and effects. Sometimes, however, unaccountable outcomes do occur. Researchers are clearly very interested in such events and seek to find plausible explanations for them. One such explanation is the Hawthorne Effect. The Hawthorne Effect is frequently referred to by researchers to account for unexpected outcomes which are believed to depend on the fact that the subjects in a study have been aware that they are part of an experiment and are receiving extra attention as a result. Few people have read the original studies, which took place between 1927 and 1932 in the Hawthorne plant of the Western Electric Company in Chicago. This article discusses the original experiments, their findings, their implication for today's researchers, and the manner in which these studies have been misinterpreted by some.