¿Qué es el efecto Pigmalión?
The Pygmalion Effect: How Expectations Shape Outcomes
Introduction to the Study
- In the 1960s, a significant psychological study took place in a small California institute, leading to what is known as the Pygmalion effect or Rosenthal effect.
- Robert Rosenthal, an influential American psychologist, focused on how people's expectations influence their perceptions of others.
Collaboration and Experiment Design
- Leonor Jacobson, the director of a California institute, reached out to Rosenthal after reading about his research in the press.
- Together, they designed an experiment that began at the start of the next academic year involving over 300 students.
Initial Testing and Manipulation
- The researchers administered intelligence tests to all students and found no significant differences in intelligence levels among them.
- A small group was randomly selected and given false reports indicating they had exceptional intelligence, which were then shared with their teachers.
Observations During the Academic Year
- Throughout the school year, Jacobson and Rosenthal observed without intervening; they noted changes in teacher behavior towards students based on false expectations.
- Teachers unconsciously treated these selected students differently—maintaining eye contact longer and attributing mistakes to misunderstandings rather than lack of ability.
Results and Conclusions
- By year's end, those falsely labeled as intelligent performed significantly better academically than their peers who received no such labels.