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A study was conducted to see whether participants would ignore a sign that said, "Elevator may stick between floors. Use the stairs." The study was done at a university dorm on the ground floor of a three-level building. Those who used the stairs were said to be compliant, and those who used the elevator were said to be noncompliant. There were three possible situations, two of which involved confederates. A confederate is a person who is secretly working with the experimenter. In the first situation, there was no confederate. In the second situation, there was a compliant confederate (one who used the stairs), and in the third situation, there was a noncompliant confederate (one who used the elevator). The subjects tended to imitate the confederates. What more do you need to know about the study to determine whether the presence or absence of a confederate causes a change in the compliance of subjects? (Source: Wogalter et al. [1987], reported in Shaffer and Merrens, Research Stories in Introductory Psychology [Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001\(]\) )

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Experiment Details

Outline the details of the experiment as provided: The experiment takes place in a three-level university dorm. It investigates participants' behaviors in response to a sign recommending the use of stairs instead of an unreliable elevator. Participants who use the stairs are 'compliant', and those who use the elevator are 'noncompliant'. Three situations are tested: one with no confederate, one with a compliant confederate, and one with a noncompliant confederate. Participants were observed to imitate the confederates.

02

Identify Possible Factors Affecting the Results

Identifying potential confounding variables can help determine what other information may be required. There can be many possible factors like the size of the group, gender, age or physical fitness of the subjects, time of day the experiment was conducted, whether the subjects were aware they were being observed, their relationship with the confederate and so on.

03

Derive Necessary Information to Determine Confederate Effect

In order to conclude whether the presence or absence of a confederate influences subject compliance, several pieces of information are needed: 1) the number of participants in each of the three situations, 2) the number of compliant and noncompliant participants in each situation. This data will provide a basis for comparing participant behavior in different situations. Also, the confounding factors identified in the previous step need to be controlled or their influence needs to be understood. Lastly, the results need to be statistically analyzed to ensure any observed differences are not due to chance.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Compliance Behavior

In psychological research, compliance behavior refers to the act of conforming to a request or a directive given by an authority or individual. In the context of our study, participants were considered compliant if they chose to use the stairs as per the sign's request. Understanding compliance behavior is crucial because it reveals how individuals respond to social influence. Compliance is often studied to understand factors that encourage people to follow rules or suggestions.

Various factors can impact compliance, such as the perceived authority of the person making the request, the presence of peers, and the consequences associated with compliance or noncompliance. In this particular experiment, compliance was measured by whether participants used the stairs or not. Observing such behavior helps researchers understand what motivates people to follow directions in everyday situations.

Confederate Influence

Confederates play a vital role in experimental psychology studies by acting as insiders who control certain aspects of the environment. Their influence can significantly affect the outcomes of a study by indirectly altering participants' behaviors.

In this experiment, the presence of a confederate—either compliant or noncompliant—influenced participants' decision to use the stairs or elevator. Participants often unconsciously mimic the behavior of those around them, especially in uncertain situations. This was evidenced by the tendency of subjects to imitate compliant or noncompliant confederates.

The use of confederates is a powerful tool because it allows researchers to subtly manipulate social dynamics and observe genuine reactions from participants. However, the challenge lies in ensuring participants remain unaware of the true nature of the confederate, so their responses are natural and uninfluenced by suspicion.

Observational Study

An observational study is a research method that involves systematic observation and recording of behaviors without interfering or manipulating the environment. In this study setup, researchers observed participants' choices to use the stairs or elevator under different conditions.

The observational approach provides valuable insights into natural behavior because participants act without knowing they are part of an experiment. This can result in more genuine behavior, offering evidence that is more reflective of real-world actions.

However, observational studies can have limitations. The lack of control over variables can make it difficult to draw clear conclusions about cause and effect. This is why additional data, such as participant demographics or time of day, is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the behavior observed. Researchers must carefully craft their observational design to minimize biases and confounding factors to ensure authenticity and reliability of the results.

Confounding Variables

Confounding variables are any external factors that may affect the outcome of an experiment, possibly skewing the results. In this study, several confounding variables could have influenced compliance behavior, such as the participants' physical fitness, time of day, and awareness of being observed.

Controlling these variables is crucial for determining if the presence of a confederate truly changes compliance. Without identifying and accounting for potential confounding factors, the results could be inaccurate or misleading.

To effectively manage confounding variables, researchers should design experiments where such influences are minimized or statistically controlled. This can involve random assignment of participants to different conditions or collecting comprehensive demographic information. Understanding and addressing potential confounders is key to ensuring that any conclusions drawn about compliance behavior and confederate influence are valid and reliable.