Observer effects without demand characteristics: The curious case of video monitoring of performance

Purpose The usual explanation for observer effects in research on organizational behavior is that researchers’cognitive biases cause them to unconsciously influence participants in a manner consistent with hypotheses. In many cases, the observer effects likely depend on the expectations of the observers and the social cues that communicate these expectations to those being observed. A neglected question, however, is: What is the effect of electronic monitoring on performance in the absence of expectations and social cues? Can monitoring in itself influence behavior and, if so, how? Design/Methodology Observation of performance quantity on a hand-eye coordination task was conducted via video monitoring. In Experiment 1, no hypotheses were developed and a double-blind procedure was used. In Experiment 2, we used the same design as in Experiment 1 and controlled for cognitive ability and emotions. Results In Experiment 1, results demonstrated that monitored participants’performance was lower than that of non-monitored participants. These findings were replicated in Experiment 2, controlling for cognitive ability and emotions. Limitations Additional research is needed in order to investigate whether our results generalize to tasks that differ in important ways from the one we used. Research/Practical Implications The questions raised in this research are important because they pertain to the baseline consequence of monitoring. Without knowledge of the results of observation, researchers would be in danger of misinterpreting effect sizes and overlooking the role of observation in their theories and data. Originality/Value Our studies contribute to knowledge of observation effects by demonstrating that such effects can occur in the absence of expectations and social cues.