The Expectancy Effect: How Can It Impact Behaviour?

The Expectancy Effect is when somebody holds a specific belief or opinion about another person that influences the way they behave towards that person. This preconceived idea about the person may drive interactions that then, in turn, lead the person to show behaviour that the member of staff was expecting.

The expectancy effect is a self-fulfilling prophecy. It can be extremely destructive and have a significant impact on behaviour and relationships. In short, you often get what you expect.

A common example of the Expectancy Effect in action

So, what can the expectancy effect look like in real life and how could it influence the ways we respond to behaviour?

Let’s take, for example, a supply teacher, new colleague, or agency staff member working at our setting for the first time. They are told to be wary of an individual, because of their behaviour and warned of past incidents that have happened.

It’s now likely that the new member of staff will start thinking about the behaviour they may encounter, and what they may have to do in response. They may start imagining scenarios and preparing responses in their head before they’ve even met the individual concerned. They may feel anxious, or perhaps they ‘get ready for battle’ to show they’re in charge.

When they meet the individual, they may attempt to ‘manage’ their behaviour immediately, to show them they’re in control, inadvertently single them out, or simply focus on them to an extent that the individual feels anxious and watched. The resulting behaviours seen then reinforce the expectations the member of staff had before meeting the individual.

How do we move away from the expectancy effect?

We need to give those in our care the opportunities to show us who they are without us being unduly influenced by what we may have heard about them from colleagues, parents and carers or other individuals.

Without these opportunities, the people we support can only exist in the framework we have created for them – with no chance of surprising us or proving any previously held beliefs to be no longer accurate.

As effective practitioners, we need to recognise and acknowledge where the Expectancy Effect might create preconceptions of and assumptions about individuals, and develop ways to foster a positive, open-minded and fair culture for all.

Removing preconceived ideas