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320 PART IV: Applied ResearchOne specific novelty effect has been labeled the Hawthorne effect. This refersto changes in people’s behavior brought about by the interest that “ significantothers” show in them. The effect was named after events occurring at theHawthorne plant of the Western Electric Company in Cicero, Illinois, nearChicago, between 1924 and 1932 (Roethlisberger, 1977). Studies were conductedto examine the relationship between productivity and conditions of theworkplace. In one experiment, the amount of lighting in the plant was variedand worker performance was examined. Results revealed that both experimentaland control groups increased their productivity during the study. Althoughthere is some controversy surrounding the exact factors responsible for thiseffect (e.g., Parsons, 1974), a Hawthorne effect generally refers to a change inbehavior that results from participants’ awareness that someone is interestedin them.As one example of the Hawthorne effect, consider a study in which prisonersare chosen to participate in research examining the relationship between changesin prison-cell conditions and attitudes toward prison life (see Figure 10.2). If positivechanges in prisoners’ attitudes are obtained, the results could be due to theactual changes in cell conditions that were made, or they could be due to anincrease in morale because prisoners saw the prison administration as expressingconcern for them. Researchers working in natural settings must be consciousof the fact that changes in participants’ behavior may be partially due to theirawareness that others are interested in them. Thus, you can see that a Hawthorneeffect represents a specific kind of reactivity (i.e., an awareness that one is beingobserved), which we discussed in previous chapters (especially Chapter 4).FIGURE 10.2Research investigating methods for improving prison life may be subject to Hawthorne effects.