The White Bear Effect in English is known as "the white bear effect" or "the brown bear effect." This term refers to the phenomenon where individuals, often when they are informed that they are going to be evaluated or tested on a particular task, perform worse than they would if they had not been informed. The term was popularized by psychologist Leanne Webber in her 2003 book "The White Bear Paper."
In the context of the white bear effect, the task given to the participants is typically something they are told will be evaluated, which leads them to focus more on avoiding failure rather than actually improving their performance. This happens because the mere act of knowing that an evaluation is coming makes it more difficult for the participants to focus and perform well.
The white bear effect highlights the psychological impact of evaluation stress and the tendency for people to overestimate their ability to perform well in the face of potential negative feedback.
