At the entrance to a stadium, a researcher asks people to move a lightweight barrier to a marked position. The request is delivered by a confederate wearing either a guard's uniform, a milkman's uniform or ordinary clothes. The same scripted request is used in each condition, and the researcher records whether each person complies.
A different confederate was used for each clothing condition, and 35 people were approached in each condition. The results are:
| Clothing worn by confederate | People who complied | People approached |
|---|---|---|
| Guard's uniform | 21 | 35 |
| Milkman's uniform | 14 | 35 |
| Ordinary clothes | 13 | 35 |
Suggest how using a different confederate for each clothing condition could affect the conclusion of the investigation, and compare the pattern in these results with Bickman's (1974) findings.
76 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Psychology 4.2 Theories/Explanations, covering 4.2.1 Situational factors on conformity and crowds, 4.2.2 Situational factors on culture and obedience; criticisms, 4.2.3 Situational Factors research study: Bickman (1974), 4.2.4 Dispositional factors on conformity, crowds, morality, obedience, 4.2.5 Brain in dispositional factors; criticisms, and 4.2.6 Dispositional Factors research study: NatCen (2011). Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.