A Whistle-blower is someone who exposes unethical activities of others
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aim?
To investigate responses to people in authority, giving them the opportunity to whistleblow as well as obey. To understand individual and situational factors which influence responses to authority figures
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method?
Laboratory or scenario study (no IV)
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sampling method?
Self-selecting (participants recruited via flyers posted in the canteen of VU university
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sample characteristics?
149 undergraduates from VU university (96 women, 53 men, mean age = 20.8)
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procedure pilot studies?
Conducted 8 pilot studies involving 92 students from VU Uni to ensure the cover story was credible (participants believed it), to standardise the experimenter-authority behavior, and to ensure that the experiment was ethically sound
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procedure surveys?
138 volunteer undergraduate students were given an outline of the study and asked what they thought they would do and what they thought a typical student at the university would do.
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procedure 1?
Male experimenter asks the participants to give a few names of other students.
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procedure 2?
They were told the cover story, and asked to write a testimonial to convince the students they had named to take part in the study. They were told not to mention the negative effects and to be enthusiastic, using adjectives like exciting and incredib
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procedure 3?
Participants were told that the Research Committee was still considering whether to permit the study and that forms were in the next room if the participants want to anonymously give feedback and post it in a box provided
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procedure 4?
Left in another room for 7mins to type their testimonial, and/or complete/ post a form on the ethics. ● Debriefed about the deception- that the study on sensory deprivation was a cover story.
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equitment- the cover story? 1
Outlined a made-up sensory deprivation study the researchers claimed to have conducted on 6 participants
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equitment- the cover story? 2
The results of the study showed that all participants panicked, their cognitive abilities were impaired, and they experienced visual and auditory hallucinations.
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equitment- the cover story? 3
2 asked to stop the experiment which was not permitted (violates right to withdraw)
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equitment measurements? 1
The HEXACO-PI-R personality test; which measures the 6 main dimensions of personality. Including; honestyhumility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness (niceness), and openness to experience
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equitment measurements? 2
The Decomposed Games measure of social values- the extent to which personal values are orientated towards the benefits of all or just for the self ● Self-report on religious beliefs and attitudes including faith-belief in transcendent reality
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findings and conclusions? 1
76.5% obeyed the experimenter 14.1% disobeyed 6.0% anonymously blew the whistle (wrote a testimonial but completed the Research Committee form) 3.4% refused to write the testimonial and filled in a Research Committee form
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findings and conlusions? 2
People act far differently than how they claim they or others would behave. o Only 3.6% indicated they would obey. o Only 18.8% thought an average student at VU University would obey
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findings and conlusions? 3
There was no significant difference between those who obeyed, whistleblew, and disobeyed, on any of the variables tested by the HEXACO, or Decomposed Games, or in variables such as gender and religion.
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findings and conlusions? 4
Participants commented in the post-experimental interview that they obeyed because of the influence of the authority figure, i.e. they adopted an agentic state
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findings and conlusions? 5
Some individual factors are related to responses to authority: People who whistleblow have more faith than those who obey unethical requests. Whistleblowers had significantly greater faith than participants who were obedient
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
aim?
Back
To investigate responses to people in authority, giving them the opportunity to whistleblow as well as obey. To understand individual and situational factors which influence responses to authority figures
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