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MENTAL MODEL · M0472

Campbell's Law

Campbell's Law
CultureHigh supportSociology
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Any social indicator, once used as a basis for strong rewards or punishments, will increasingly be manipulated and distorted, eventually losing the meaning it was originally intended to measure.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

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Campbell's law is an adage developed by American psychologist and social scientist Donald T. Campbell, who often wrote about research methodology. The adage states: The more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and…

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Campbell's Law states that when a social indicator is used as a basis for decision-making, the pressure it bears will prompt it to be distorted and gamed, ultimately corrupting the social process it was originally meant to measure. The mechanism is: 'indicator used for rewards/punishments → parties have incentives to manipulate the indicator → distortion of the indicator is amplified by feedback.'

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell%27s_lawZH · Explicit
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