Program Participants' Positive Perceptions

A common dilemma of evaluation researchers, that outcome findings do not confirm program adninistrators' and recipients' perceptions of benefits occurring, is related to a general proposition that participants will have positive perceptions of program effects, regardless of behavioral changes toward program goals. This phenomenon is shown to occur widely, and to be predictable from both behavioral and cognitive social psy chological theory, but has not been previously recognized explicitly. Implications are drawn for the policy planning process and for the methodology of program evaluation.