The Pygmalion Effect
In 1965, Harvard psychologist Robert Rosenthal and elementary school principal Lenore Jacobson conducted one of the most controversial and illuminating studies in educational psychology. They told teachers that certain students in their classes—randomly selected—had been identified through a special test as “academic spurters” who would show remarkable intellectual growth in the coming year.The Pygmalion Effect The results were astonishing. When tested eight months later, these randomly chosen students actually showed significantly greater IQ gains than their peers. The teachers’ expectations had created a self-fulfilling prophecy. This phenomenon, where higher expectations lead to improved performance, became known as the Pygmalion Effect, named after the Greek myth of a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he created, which then came to life.The Pygmalion Effect The Psychology Behind the Phenomenon The Pygmalion Effect operates through several interconnected psychological mechanisms:The Pygmalion Effect 1. The Climate Effect When we have high expectations for someone,…