Hawthorne effect: Meaning and Definition of

Haw'thorne effect"

Pronunciation: [key]
— Psychol. Psychol.
  1. a positive change in the performance of a group of persons taking part in an experiment or study due to their perception of being singled out for special consideration.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.