Bocchiaro - CONTEMPORARY

Question 1

Background

Answer 1

Bocchairo was inspired by Milgram’s experiment and wanted to pursue a more ethical study aiming to find out rates of obedience, disobedience and even whistle-blowing in cases where what they are being asked to do is unethical.

Question 2

Method

Answer 2

Lab study

+ Replicable - standardised so can be followed

• Lacks ecological validity - performed in a lab
• Demand characteristics - participants are aware they are in a study

Took place in Amsterdam, Netherlands at VU university.

8 Pilot tests
- ensure the procedure was credible and ethically acceptable

Question 3

Materials

Answer 3

Letterbox, Research Committee Forms, 3 questionnaires (personality (HEXACO), Social Value Orientation and religiosity based), pens.

Question 4

Sampling & bias

Answer 4

Uni students that reached out through flyers posted in the cafeteria of VU University in Amsterdam (volunteer sampling). They were paid 7 euros for partaking.

Ethnocentric (all from Amsterdam) & gynocentric.

149 students, 96 women and 53 men.

Question 5

Procedure

Answer 5

1) Students enter lab and are paid 7 euros by assistant researcher
2) given cover story.
3) assistant leaves for 3 mins.
4) 7 mins given to write letter.
5 told to complete questionnaires.

Question 6

IV & DV

Answer 6

IV (what was controlled)
- Timings between the sections
- Researcher had rehearsed in pilot studies

DV
- Rates of obey, disobey & whistle-blowing
- Score on questionnaires

Question 7

Results

Answer 7

1) Obeyed
2) Disobeyed
3) Whistle - Blowed
76.5% of people were obedient.
14.1% of people disobeyed.
9.4% whistle-blew.

Question 8

Quantitive & qualititive

Answer 8

_QUANTITIVE_

Strengths
- Large amounts of data can be quickly simplified
- Less ambiguous

Weaknesses
- Lacks depth and context

_QUALITATIVE_ (audio recording & log)
Strengths
- Includes depth and context

Weaknesses
- Open to bias/interpretation

Question 9

Ethics

Answer 9

Deception - participants were told a cover story

Question 10

Conclusions

Answer 10

As with Milgram, people tend to obey authority figures, even if the request is unethical.

People act far differently than how they claim they would behave.

Behaving in a moral manner is difficult for individuals.

Question 11

Validity

Answer 11

High internal validity.
Demand Characteristics - Artificial environment (lab)