Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated

Expectation Effect

A phenomenon in which perception and behavior changes as a result of personal expectations or the expectations of others.

The expectation effect refers 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. A few examples of this phenomenon include:1

Halo Effect—Employers rate the performance of certain employees more highly than others based on their overall positive impression of those employees.

Hawthorne Effect—Employees are more productive based on their belief that changes made to the environment will increase productivity.

Pygmalion Effect—Students perform better or worse based on the expectations ...