During a corporate training seminar at a logistics firm, an external consultant, Dr. Vance, conducts a "pressure-tolerance audit." Dr. Vance, who wears a formal lab coat with a university badge, instructs senior managers to publicly dock the performance scores and hypothetical bonuses of junior trainees for any minor data-entry errors. When some trainees become visibly distressed and protest, several managers hesitate and look to Dr. Vance for guidance. Dr. Vance responds in a firm tone: "The trial protocol requires that you continue; please proceed." Despite later admitting they felt the exercise was cruel and unfair, every manager fully complied and completed the audit.
Outline one reason the senior managers complied with the instructions even though they felt the exercise was unfair. Support your answer with evidence from the scenario.
128 exam-style questions on OCR A Level Psychology Responses to people in authority, covering Milgram (1963): Obedience and Bocchiaro et al. (2012): Disobedience and whistle-blowing. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.