Question

In a controlled experiment, Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) informed grade school teachers that some of their students (called "bloomers") would show great academic improvement in the upcoming year. In reality, the "bloomers" were chosen randomly by the researchers, and were no smarter than any of the other students. Which of the following best describes the results of this study? At the end of the year:

A. bloomers improved more on an IQ test than did non-bloomers.
B. there were no IQ differences between bloomers and non-bloomers, but the bloomers were more interested in school.
C. non-bloomers improved more on an IQ test than did bloomers.
D. bloomers and non-bloomers performed equally well on an IQ test.

Answer 1

The answer is A. Bloomers improved more on an IQ test than did non-bloomers.

Step-by-step explanation:

It is most likely that at the end of the year, the students called bloomers would've improved more on an IQ test than the rest of the students. The results of this experiment can be explained by the Pigmalion effect, which was also a theoretical insight provided by the researchers after conducting this experiment.

The Pigmalion effect explains that teachers' expectations affect students' academic results; if the teacher expects a certain student to perform well and improve, it is likely that he will treat him according to his expectation and therefore, it is likely that the student will perform well. On the contrary, if a teacher expects a student to fail and to perform badly, he will also treat him accordingly and the student probably will perform in that way.