Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia; Department of Health Sciences, University of York, UK.
Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
J Clin Epidemiol. 2019 Apr;108:102-109. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2018.11.016. Epub 2018 Nov 17.
We tested the hypothesis that participants who know the behavioral focus of a study and are thus aware that a particular behavior is being studied will modify that behavior, independently of any possible effect of assessment, thereby dismantling a Hawthorne effect into two putative components.
We undertook a three-arm individually randomized trial online among students: group A (control) were told they were completing a lifestyle survey; group B were told the focus of the survey was alcohol consumption; and group C additionally answered 20 questions on their alcohol use and its consequences before answering the same lifestyle questions as Groups A and B. Nondrinkers were excluded, and all groups were aware they would be followed up after 1 month.
Outcome data were obtained for 4,583 of 5,478 trial participants (84% follow-up rate). There were no differences between the three groups on primary (overall volume consumed) or secondary outcome measures (drinking frequency and amount per typical occasion) in the intervening 4 weeks.
There is no evidence that any form of Hawthorne effect exists in relation to self-reported alcohol consumption online among university students in usual research practice. Attention to study contexts is warranted for investigating research participation effects.
我们检验了这样一个假设，即了解研究行为焦点并因此意识到正在研究特定行为的参与者将改变该行为，而不受任何评估可能的影响，从而将霍桑效应分解为两个假定成分。
我们在学生中进行了一项三臂个体随机试验，在线进行：A 组（对照组）被告知他们正在完成一项生活方式调查；B 组被告知调查的重点是饮酒；C 组在回答与 A 组和 B 组相同的生活方式问题之前，另外回答了 20 个关于饮酒及其后果的问题。不饮酒者被排除在外，所有组都知道他们将在 1 个月后被随访。
5478 名试验参与者中有 4583 名（84%的随访率）获得了结果数据。在 4 周的时间内，三组之间主要（总体消耗量）或次要结果测量（饮酒频率和每次典型饮酒量）没有差异。
在大学生通常的研究实践中，在线自我报告饮酒量方面，没有任何形式的霍桑效应存在的证据。在调查研究参与效果时，需要关注研究背景。
