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In science, observer effect is the term for how someone observing and measuring an effect can change the thing being observed.
In quantum mechanics, if the outcome of an event has not been observed, it exists in a state of superposition, which is being in all possible states at once. The most famous example is the thought experiment Schrödinger's cat, in which the cat is neither alive nor dead until observed — until that time, the cat is both alive and dead.
In the social sciences, and in general usage, the effect refers to how people change their behaviour when it is observed and set down. People often do not behave in their usual manner when aware of being watched.
References
- Observer effect (http://van.hep.uiuc.edu/van/qa/section/New_and_Exciting_Physics/Quantum_Mechanics/20010417141644.htm) in physics
- Observer Effect (http://www.aqr.org.uk/glossary/index.shtml?observereffect) in the social sciences (Association for Qualitative Research)
- The observer effect (http://www.nwfusion.com/compendium/2003/002911.html) (usage of the term in the computer industry)
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