The Power of Expectations | Invisibilia | NPR
Summary
TLDRIn 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
- đ Bob Rosenthal's experiment involved secretly labeling rats as 'smart' or 'dumb' to test the impact of expectations on performance.
- đ§ The 'smart' rats outperformed the 'dumb' ones, even though they were all average, demonstrating the power of perceived intelligence.
- đ Rosenthal discovered that experimenters' expectations led to subtle behavioral changes, affecting the rats' maze performance.
- đ€ The experiment suggests that non-verbal cues and handling can influence outcomes, as gentler handling improved rat performance.
- đ©âđ« Carol Dweck's research indicates that teacher expectations can significantly affect a student's IQ score.
- đïžââïž Expectations can also influence physical performance, as seen in military training where they can make soldiers faster or slower.
- đ The script highlights how expectations, often unconscious, can shape our interactions and the performance of others.
- đ« The example of jumping off a building and expecting to fly illustrates the limits of expectation's influence on reality.
- đ The boundary between what's possible and the power of belief is dynamic, shifting as our understanding of psychological mechanisms evolves.
- đ 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
đ 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄExpectations
đĄRat Experiment
đĄSelf-fulfilling Prophecy
đĄBehavior Changes
đĄPerformance
đĄCarol Dweck
đĄTeacher Expectations
đĄMother's Expectations
đĄMilitary Trainers
đĄBelief
đĄOutcome
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."
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