The Pygmalion Effect describes the phenomenon that expectations systematically influence people's perception and behavior. Expectations that we have of others influence us, on the one hand, because we tend to perceive information selectively and interpret it exclusively in such a way that it confirms our expectations. However, they also influence others, because people tend to perform in a way that others expect of them.

Another mechanism is that when people believe in a prediction, they ultimately act in such a way that it is fulfilled. There is a positive correlation between expectation and behavior.

Origin

The Pygmalion Effect was largely shaped by the American psychologist Robert Rosenthal, who examined it in the 1960s in his studies on self-efficacy and teacher-student interactions. His work in the context of the so-called «Pygmalion Study» is particularly well known, which showed how teachers' expectations can influence their students' performance.

When teachers took over a new class, the headteachers told them that the class consisted of the best and brightest students. At the end of the school year, the class was indeed better than all the others – the students' grades and even IQs were more than 20 points higher.

The remarkable thing about the experiment was that the headteachers had lied. In reality, the class was a random selection. However, because the students themselves believed that they were among the best, and because the teachers had more confidence in them, their performance and learning curve increased sharply in reality. Rosenthal and Jacobson's results were later confirmed by exemplary studies, for example by Lee Jussim and Kent Harber. The effect is largely consistent with that of the Self-fulfilling Prophecy.

  • Rosenthal, R., & Jacobson, L. (1968). Pygmalion in the Classroom. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
  • Rosenthal, R. (1976). Social Psychology. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Application in UX and UI design

In UX and UI design, the Pygmalion Effect is of central importance because users' expectations significantly influence their perception and interaction with a digital product. Designers can build and control expectations in a targeted manner by presenting the target group with familiar and interpretable design patterns. For example, users expect certain layouts for product pages or ordering processes on an e-commerce website; meeting these expectations can significantly increase user-friendliness and satisfaction – see also Jakob's Law.

In addition, an appealing and aesthetic design increases users' expectations of functionality, as the Aesthetic Usability Effect illustrates. An aesthetically designed interface leads users to expect higher and better functionality.

With an aesthetic design, designers can not only positively influence users' expectations of user-friendliness, but also increase satisfaction in the long term. However, it is important that functional expectations do not deviate too far from reality, as this can lead to a feeling of disappointment.

Impact on the User Experience

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Further information