D. Brian McNatt
D. Brian McNatt wrote the 2000 meta-analysis that gathered the Pygmalion effect studies done on adults, in management and military settings. It reported an average effect a little over one standard deviation, far larger than in classrooms, with the largest effects in the military. This page rests on the abstract record, so it is short.
Who they are
McNatt's paper, Ancient Pygmalion joins contemporary management: A meta-analysis of the result, appeared in the Journal of Applied Psychology (2000, 85(2), 314-322). It aimed to establish the existence and relative size of the Pygmalion effect among adults in management contexts.
It pooled seventeen studies, fifty-eight effect sizes and 2,874 participants, on measures such as exam scores, performance appraisals and physical output. The average effect was about 1.13 standard deviations. Effects were stronger in the military, with men, and when people initially had low expectations placed on them. The authors noted that ongoing work contexts and for-profit organisations needed more research.
The number should be read with Dov Eden's platoon experiment in mind, since military samples drive the result. He is listed on Boise State University's research profiles. No other work of his was read for this page.
Key papers
McNatt, D. B. (2000). Ancient Pygmalion joins contemporary management: A meta-analysis of the result. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(2), 314-322. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.85.2.314
Key ideas
Larger outside schools. Adult studies report effects roughly ten times the classroom average, in settings that are mostly training and military.
Low expectations gain most. Effects were stronger when people started out with low expectations placed on them.
Sources
- McNatt, D. B. (2000). Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(2), 314-322. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.85.2.314