Pygmalion vs Golem

So, I'm walking down the hallway today and I heard a parent exclaim, "I knew you couldn't do it."

I cringed.

Do you know about the Pygmalion and Golem Effect?

In simple terms, both of these “effects” mean - people live up to (Pygmalion) or down to (Golem) your expectations of them.  Your expectations often become a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Teachers can unintentionally influence the performance of their learners for better or worst.  The effects aren’t just theory; studies have shown that this really takes place. A great place to read about the research is in the book, SWAY.

In 1968 a study was published showing that average kids, who were label as having unusual potential for intellectual growth, had significantly higher test scores than their peers at the end of the school year.  The only people who thought the kids had unusual potential were the teachers (they were told this by the officiators of study).  The high expectations of the teachers and their resulting behavior towards these “intelligent” kids led to the significant improvement in performance.

The best definition I’ve seen of the Pygmalion/Gollum Effect is called the Four-Factors Theory by Dr. Rosenthal.  He explains it’s a function of climate, input, feedback, and output.  Here are some simple examples:

Climate: The positive interpersonal experience the student has around you

Input: You give the student the information he/she needs to be successful

Output: The student has the opportunity to ask questions and get good feedback.

Feedback:  You let them know if they are doing well and how to do even better.

Think of these examples in the opposite context -  ie. the negative interpersonal experience the student has around you such as sighing, no eye contact, minimal exchange of words, etc. - and you see how the Golem effect occurs.

We need to stay away from comments like, “I knew he couldn’t do it”.  Instead, we should view each participant as fully capable of doing well in anything.  By doing so, you’ll find an opportunity to prove the Pygmalion effect.