The Power of Expectations | Invisibilia | NPR

Summary

In a groundbreaking study, psychologist Bob Rosenthal demonstrated the power of expectations by labeling rats as 'smart' or 'dumb', leading to vastly different performance in mazes despite their equal intelligence. This phenomenon, known as the Rosenthal effect, reveals how our beliefs can significantly influence outcomes. Carol Dweck and other researchers expanded on this, showing that teacher expectations can alter students' IQ scores, and parental expectations can affect children's behavior. The video explores the profound impact of expectations on performance and raises questions about the limits of belief-driven effects.

Takeaways

• 🐀 Bob Rosenthal's experiment involved secretly labeling rats as 'smart' or 'dumb' to test the impact of expectations on performance.
• 🧠 The 'smart' rats outperformed the 'dumb' ones, even though they were all average, demonstrating the power of perceived intelligence.
• 🔍 Rosenthal discovered that experimenters' expectations led to subtle behavioral changes, affecting the rats' maze performance.
• 🤔 The experiment suggests that non-verbal cues and handling can influence outcomes, as gentler handling improved rat performance.
• 👩‍🏫 Carol Dweck's research indicates that teacher expectations can significantly affect a student's IQ score.
• 🏋️‍♀️ Expectations can also influence physical performance, as seen in military training where they can make soldiers faster or slower.
• 👀 The script highlights how expectations, often unconscious, can shape our interactions and the performance of others.
• 🚫 The example of jumping off a building and expecting to fly illustrates the limits of expectation's influence on reality.
• 🔄 The boundary between what's possible and the power of belief is dynamic, shifting as our understanding of psychological mechanisms evolves.
• 🌟 The narrative underscores the profound influence of expectations on both mental and physical capabilities.

Q & A

What did Bob Rosenthal do in his early career as a research psychologist?

Bob Rosenthal secretly hung signs on rat cages, labeling some as incredibly smart and others as incredibly dumb, despite the rats being of average intelligence.

What was the task given to the experimenters by Bob Rosenthal?

The experimenters were asked to run the rats through a maze and record their performance, with some handling rats labeled as smart and others labeled as dumb.

What was the surprising result of Bob Rosenthal's experiment?

The rats labeled as smart performed almost twice as well as those labeled as dumb, even though they were all of the same average intelligence.

How did the experimenters' expectations influence the rats' performance?

The experimenters' expectations translated into subtle behavior changes, such as handling the rats more gently if they were labeled as smart, which increased their performance.

What is the name of the psychologist from Stanford who discussed the impact of expectations?

Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford, discussed how expectations can influence outcomes, such as teacher expectations affecting a student's IQ score.

In what ways can expectations influence human behavior according to the script?

Expectations can influence human behavior in various ways, such as affecting a student's IQ score, a mother's expectations influencing her middle-schooler's drinking behavior, and military trainers' expectations affecting a soldier's speed.

What is the significance of the statement 'expectations of other people are constantly acting on you'?

This statement emphasizes that the expectations others have for us can have a tangible impact on our abilities and performance, making us stronger or weaker, smarter or dumber, faster or slower.

What was the question posed about the limits of the power of expectations?

The question was whether there is a limit to how much expectations can influence outcomes, and if so, where that line should be drawn.

How does Carol Dweck describe the shifting line of what is possible due to expectations?

Carol Dweck suggests that as we understand more about what is possible and how beliefs can affect outcomes, the line of what is possible shifts, indicating a growing understanding of the power of expectations.

What is the implication of the experiment for the field of psychology?

The experiment implies that the power of expectations can significantly influence performance and behavior, suggesting that psychologists should consider the role of expectations in their studies and interventions.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 The Rosenthal Experiment

This paragraph narrates the intriguing experiment conducted by Bob Rosenthal, a research psychologist, where he deceptively labeled rat cages as either housing 'smart' or 'dumb' rats, despite all rats being average. When experimenters were tasked with running these rats through a maze, the 'smart' rats performed almost twice as well as the 'dumb' ones, demonstrating the power of expectations. The experimenters' unconscious behavior changes, influenced by their beliefs about the rats' intelligence, affected the rats' performance. This phenomenon, known as the Rosenthal effect, is further discussed in the context of human interactions, where expectations can significantly impact behavior and performance.

Keywords

💡Expectations

Expectations refer to the beliefs or predictions about how someone or something will perform or behave. In the video, expectations are shown to have a significant impact on performance, as seen in the rat experiment where the experimenters' beliefs about the rats' intelligence influenced the rats' performance in the maze. This concept is central to the video's theme, illustrating how our beliefs can shape outcomes.

💡Rat Experiment

The Rat Experiment is a pivotal part of the video's narrative, demonstrating the power of expectations. Bob Rosenthal's deceptive act of labeling rats as 'smart' or 'dumb' led to a significant difference in their maze performance, despite the rats being of average intelligence. This experiment is used to illustrate the concept of self-fulfilling prophecies and how expectations can influence actual results.

💡Self-fulfilling Prophecy

A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that causes itself to become true due to the simple act of expecting it to happen. The video uses the rat experiment to exemplify this concept, where the experimenters' expectations of the rats' intelligence led to behaviors that actually made the 'smart' rats perform better and the 'dumb' rats perform worse.

💡Behavior Changes

Behavior changes refer to the modifications in actions or reactions due to certain influences or stimuli. In the context of the video, the experimenters' expectations led to subtle behavior changes, such as handling the 'smart' rats more gently, which in turn improved their performance. This highlights how expectations can unconsciously alter our behavior towards others.

💡Performance

Performance in the video is used to measure the outcome or success of an action, particularly in the context of the rat experiment. The performance of the rats in the maze is directly linked to the expectations of the experimenters, showing that performance can be influenced by external beliefs and attitudes.

💡Carol Dweck

Carol Dweck is a psychologist mentioned in the video who has researched the impact of expectations. She is noted for her work on mindset and the idea that expectations can shape a person's potential for growth and achievement. Her research supports the video's theme by providing evidence that expectations can significantly affect outcomes.

💡Teacher Expectations

Teacher expectations are highlighted in the video as a factor that can influence a student's IQ score. This concept is used to show how authority figures' beliefs can have tangible effects on performance, aligning with the broader theme that expectations can shape reality.

💡Mother's Expectations

The video mentions how a mother's expectations can affect her middle-schooler's drinking behavior. This example is used to illustrate the pervasive influence of expectations in personal relationships and how they can impact behavior in various social contexts.

💡Military Trainers

Military trainers' expectations are discussed in relation to their ability to make soldiers faster or slower. This example is used to demonstrate the power of expectations in high-stakes, performance-driven environments and how they can directly affect physical capabilities.

💡Belief

Belief is a central concept in the video, referring to the acceptance that something is true or exists. The video explores how beliefs, particularly those held by others about us, can influence our capabilities and achievements, such as in the cases of teacher expectations and military training.

💡Outcome

Outcome refers to the result or consequence of an action or condition. Throughout the video, outcomes are shown to be influenced by expectations, as demonstrated by the rat experiment and other examples. This term is crucial for understanding the video's message about the power of expectations to shape reality.

Highlights

Bob Rosenthal conducted a deceptive experiment in his early career as a research psychologist.

He secretly labeled rat cages as either 'incredibly smart' or 'incredibly dumb', despite the rats being of average intelligence.

Experimenters were told to run the rats through a maze and record their performance based on the labels.

The 'smart' rats performed almost twice as well as the 'dumb' rats, despite being of the same average intelligence.

The experiment demonstrated the power of expectations on performance, even in rats.

Bob's findings were initially met with skepticism, causing difficulty in publishing his results.

The experimenters' expectations led to subtle behavioral changes that affected the rats' performance.

Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford, explained how expectations can influence various outcomes in humans.

Expectations can raise or lower a student's IQ score, as influenced by a teacher's beliefs.

A mother's expectations can impact the drinking behavior of her middle-schooler.

Military trainers' expectations can make a soldier perform faster or slower.

Expectations of others can make you stronger or weaker, smarter or dumber, faster or slower.

The line between what expectations can influence is moving as our understanding of belief's impact on outcomes grows.

The experiment raises questions about the extent to which expectations can shape reality.

The study challenges the idea of a clear boundary between expectation and actual outcome.

The implications of the study suggest that belief can have tangible effects on performance and behavior.

Transcripts

This is a man named Bob Rosenthal, and early in his career as a research psychologist,

he did something very devious.

Late one night, Bob secretly crept into his lab, and he hung signs on all of the rat cages.

Some of the signs said that the rat in the cage was incredibly smart, and some of the

signs said that the rat in the cage was incredibly dumb, even though

neither of these things was true.

So then Bob brings this group of experimenters into his lab and says, "For the next week, some

of you are going to get these very smart rats, and some these very dumb rats, and your job

is to run your rat through a maze and record how well it does."

So what did they find?

It was not even close.

The smart rats did almost twice as well as the dumb rats.

Even though they weren't...?

Even though the smart rats were not smart and the stupid rats were not stupid.

They were just all the same kind of average North Dakotan rat.

That almost to me sounds like the stuff of science fiction, like telekinesis.

Yeah!

No one really believed him at first.

"I was having trouble publishing any of this."

But what Bob eventually figured out was that the expectations that the experimenters had

in their head actually translated into a whole set of tiny behavior changes.

"Handling rats and handling them more gently can actually increase the performance of rats."

This kind of dynamic happens in people, too.

"You may be standing farther away from someone you have lower expectations for, you may not

be making as much eye contact, and it's not something you can put your finger on."

That's Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford.

She was one of several researchers who explained all kinds of surprising things that

expectations can influence.

Like, teacher expectations can raise or lower a student's IQ score.

A mother's expectations can affect the drinking behavior of her middle-schooler.

Military trainers' expecations can literally make a soldier faster or slower.

Think about that, as you go through the world, expectations of other people are constantly

acting on you, literally making you stronger or weaker, smarter or dumber.

Faster or slower?

Yeah!

So my question was, "How far does this go?"

So Carol, for example, if I expect that if somebody jumps off a building they will be

able to fly, that's not gonna work out so well, right?

"Right."

So what does science know about where we should draw the line?

"That line is moving as we come to understand things that are possible, and mechanisms through

which a belief affects an outcome, or one person affects another person.

That line can move."