Final answer:
The statement that the Hawthorne studies contributed to the development of interpersonal relations is true. These studies introduced the Hawthorne effect, where individuals enhance their performance due to the awareness of being observed, leading to significant implications for organizational psychology and interpersonal dynamics in the workplace.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the Hawthorne studies contributed to the development of interpersonal relations through discovery is True. These studies took place from 1929 to 1932 at Western Electric's Hawthorne Works and were led by Elton Mayo and his colleagues. Initially, the research was focused on the effects of the physical work environment, such as lighting levels on employee productivity. However, it soon became apparent that psychological and social factors were more significant in influencing workers' performance. An important outcome of these investigations was the identification of the Hawthorne effect. The Hawthorne effect arises when individuals improve their behavior or performance simply because they are aware that they are being observed. This phenomenon suggests that employees performed better when they received attention from researchers or supervisors, and this increase in productivity was not necessarily due to any specific changes made in the work environment. The discovery influenced the study of organizational psychology and is still relevant today, considered when designing experiments and considering the potential impact of research participation on subject behavior. Thus, these studies marked the origin of organizational psychology and expanded the field to include more complex issues such as motivation and interpersonal relations.