BICKMAN (1974) STUDY INTO THE POWER OF UNI FORM ON OBEDI ENCE L EVE LS

Question 1

AIM

Answer 1

To investigate whether uniform which signifies authority will affect levels of obedience.

Question 2

hypothesis

Answer 2

A uniformed guard has more ability to influence individuals than a person in a lower-authority uniform (milkman) or wearing no uniform (conventional dress).

Question 3

RESEARCH METHOD/ DESIGN

Answer 3

A field experiment was carried out on the streets of Brooklyn, New York.

Question 4

IV of the experiment

Answer 4

IV-the type of uniform being tested

Question 5

DV of the experiment

Answer 5

DV- a) The levels of obedience in relation to a uniform. (b) The levels of obedience in relation to the situation.

Question 6

SAMPLE

Answer 6

153 pedestrians on the streets
of Brooklyn, New York.

Question 7

procedure

Answer 7

They were given instructions from three male experimenters dressed as either a guard, a milkman or a civilian. All three men took turns to wear all three uniforms.

The experimenters gave one order to each participant who was either to pick up a paper bag, give a coin to a person for a parking meter, or to move to the other side of a bus stop pole.

Experiments were conducted on weekdays with 77% of the data collected during the afternoons.

Question 8

the three situation used by the experimenters

Answer 8

Picking up a bag

Dime and meter

Bus stop - no standing

Question 9

Picking up a bag

Answer 9

E stopped the chose participant and pointed to a small paper bag on the ground and said ‘pick up this bag for me’. If the participant did not comply immediately, the E also said ‘I have a bad back’.

Question 10

Dime and meter

Answer 10

E stopped the chosen participant and pointed to a confederate standing beside a car parked next to a parking meter and said ‘This fellow doesn’t have any change. Give him a dime!’ If the participant did not comply immediately, the E added that he did not have any change either

Question 11

Bus stop - no standing

Answer 11

E chose the participant if they were standing alone at the bus stop. the E approached them and said ‘ Don’t you know you have to stand on the other side of this pole? The sign says ‘No standing’ (the no standing actually referred to the fact that it is illegal for a car to be parked/waiting in a bus stop). If the participant did not comply immediately, the E added ‘Then the bus won’t stop here, it’s a new law’

Question 12

types of experimenters

Answer 12

Civilian
Milkman
Guard

Question 13

Civilian

Answer 13

Sports jacket and tie

Question 14

Milkman

Answer 14

Dressed in white, carrying milkman’s basket with empty milk bottle

Question 15

Guard

Answer 15

Similar to policeman, but with different badge and insignia; no gun was carried

Question 16

Results of experiment 1

Answer 16

paper bag
C : 36
M : 64
G : 82

dime and meter
C : 34
M : 57
G : 89

Bus stop
C : 20
M : 21
G : 56

Question 17

what can be concluded from experiment 1

Answer 17

Regardless of the scenario, there was no significant difference in obedience rates between the milkman uniform and the civilian dress as a guard, the rates of obedience were significantly higher than when he dressed as a civilian.

This demonstrated the social power of certain uniforms (those that signify authority).

Question 18

Experiment 2 sample and design

Answer 18

Field experiment, which took place in another part of Brooklyn, New York. The participant were 48 adult pedestrians of an estimated average of 46 years old. The dime and meter was used, as in Experiment 1

Question 19

What were the two IVs in experiment 2 (1)

Answer 19

Two levels of authority were used: guard and civilian

Question 20

What were the two IVs in experiment 2 (2)

Answer 20

Surveillance and non-surveillance surveillance:

in the surveillance condition, the experimenter stood with the participant next to the parking meter while the confederate stood nearby the car. In the non-surveillance condition, the experimenter approached the participant in the street, asked them to give the dime, then walked away and was out of sight before the participant reached the parking meter

Question 21

Results of experiment 2

Answer 21

When the guard’s uniform was used, the obedience rates were much higher than when the civilian outfit was used.

However, surveillance had no significant effect on whether participants obeyed or not.

Question 22

Experiment 3A

Answer 22

A questionnaire with 29 different scenarios to do with obedience.

The sample was made up of 141 college students who were asked if each was legitimate depending on whether it was made by a young man, a milkman or a guard.

Question 23

Results of experiment 3A

Answer 23

Of the three original scenarios, the guard was not perceived as more legitimate than the other uniforms when giving the order. This suggests that participants did not think the experimenter’s uniform made their request any more legitimate

Some of the new scenarios were seen as more legitimate than others

Question 24

Experiment 3B

Answer 24

Questionnaires were used again, but this time to ask participants what they thought people would do in one of the scenarios from Experiment 1.

The sample was made up of 189 students

Question 25

Results of Experiment 3B

Answer 25

Results showed that participants did not think the guard would have more social power in these situations, compared to the milkman or the civilian

Question 26

Conclusion (1)

Answer 26

Uniformed people, (even when acting out of role), have greater power than non-uniformed people.

Question 27

Conclusion (2)

Answer 27

Power and legitimacy seem to be related to the type of uniform worn / the more legitimate the social power
shown by an individual through the wearing of a uniform, the more likely their requests/orders will be obeyed.

Question 28

Conclusion (3)

Answer 28

Levels of obedience may be related to the situation.

Question 29

Conclusion (4)

Answer 29

Although, in theory, a situation influences obedience levels, in practice the appearance of the person giving the order has a greater effect.

Question 30

Conclusion (5)

Answer 30

Predictions relating to obedience behaviour are not good predictions of actual behaviour.

Question 31

Criticisms (1)

Answer 31

As Bickman used a field experiment so there is a lack of control over extraneous ‘street’ variables, such as noise, weather and crowding, which could have affected the results.

Question 32

Criticisms (2)

Answer 32

An opportunity sample was used there was no prior knowledge of the personality or circumstances of each participant, they might have been in a hurry or even depressed, which would have affected their obedience and the results of the experiment.

Question 33

Criticisms (3)

Answer 33

The experiment was unethical as participants did not give their informed consent and they were not debriefed afterwards. This means they could have been distressed or embarrassed by the orders.

Question 34

Criticisms (4)

Answer 34

The sample is unrepresentative. There was a gender bias as the experimenters were male, so people might have been more likely to obey an order given by a male rather than a female. There was also a culture bias as the experiment took place in only one city. We cannot be sure that people from other cultures would obey in the same way, so the results cannot be generalised.

Question 35

Criticisms (5)

Answer 35

The use of scenarios in the questionnaire were not ‘real’ enough, which is why more people said they would not obey. Questionnaires rely too much on people’s honesty and insight.