The Act of Observation

I don't know who said it, or when, or what scientific principal--if any--it's attached to, but I know I've heard it said:

The act of observation changes that which is being observed.

And today, I listen to the newspeople and pundits and pollsters asking how they could've all been so wrong, and they're offering a dozen possible explanations and theories, but not a single one of them seems to have stumbled upon this theory:

Might the polls themselves have spurred some people to say, "Oh, my candidate needs me!" or "I'm feeling lazy today, and my guy's a cinch anyhow, so no big deal." Or any other variation of being somehow galvanized to act because of the polls.

Thereby, the polls themselves, and not just the actions of the candidates in the days beforehand, may have had some impact.


(I say this having picked no horse yet for any race.)