Glossary
Pygmalion Effect
What is the Pygmalion effect?
The Pygmalion effect, also known as the Rosenthal effect, is the phenomenon in which people's expectations about a person can influence that person's performance. This effect is named after the Greek myth of Pygmalion, who was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved. In the myth, the statue came to life. The Pygmalion effect concerns expectations helping bring about corresponding performance, rather than merely predicting it.
Teacher expectations and student performance
The Pygmalion effect is often studied through teacher expectations and student performance. If a teacher expects a student to perform well, the student may be more likely to actually perform well. This can be because the teacher provides the student with more support and encouragement, or because the student internalizes the teacher's expectations and tries harder as a result. Low expectations can likewise contribute to poorer outcomes, sometimes called the Golem effect. A correlation between expectations and performance is not enough to establish either causal effect: teachers can also accurately anticipate prior differences in achievement.
How strong is the effect?
Jussim and Harber’s review found classroom self-fulfilling effects were typically small, although potentially stronger for some stigmatized groups.