Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

057 Expectation Effects

Changes in perception or behavior resulting from personal expectations or expectations of others.

Expectation effects refer to ways in which expectations affect perception and behavior. Generally, when people are aware of a probable or desired outcome, their perceptions and behavior are affected in some way. For example, tell a large group of people that a new product will change their lives, and a significant number will find their lives changed — the belief is simply a device that helps create the change.1

Examples of expectation effects include: 2

• Halo effect — Employers rate the performance of certain employees higher than others based on the employers’ overall positive impression of those employees.
• Hawthorne effect ...