Expectation Effects on Performance Evaluations

Expectations for actors affect evaluations of their performances in many social settings. Generally, the less it is possible to apply objective evaluative criteria, the greater will be the effects of expectations in determining evaluations. Three types of situations, differing in degree of expectation structuring, are described and analyzed in terms of expectation states theory. Results of three sequential experimental tests of that theory with school children are presented, and data confirm the predicted expectation effects. Some implications of the analysis and data for theory building and practical knowledge are discussed.