A manager from a prestigious university believed that employees who were from "lesser schools" lacked sufficient intelligence and motivation for the high-tech firm that she led. She set goals for these employees low, and did not trust them with certain important tasks or company information. Over time, the employees started to exhibit behaviors consistent with the manager's beliefs and actions. They tended to show dissatisfaction and low performance. At length, many of them quit. This would be an example of:

Answer: The Pygmalion effect

Explanation: The Pygmalion effect is known in psychology as an effect that negatively affects someone called the target person in that case, because of someone else's expectation. Usually, this effect refers to the so-called lower expectations of a superior, or simply someone with prejudice, and then such an expectation is reflected in the lower performance of the target person, i. e. the person from whom something is expected. This effect can also be positive, so the person who is expected to do something has positive marks that s/he will succeed, and that target person is successful. Either way, it is positive expectations that lead to the success of the target person, or prejudices like this manager, that cause negative effects on the target person, in both cases it is a so-called self-fulfilling prophecy. This effect in sociology can lead to an influence on the formation of social classes