PS270 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Security Guard, Jaywalking
Document Summary
The principle that people are more likely to comply with requests made by a person of high prestige and/or authority. Authority figures may be perceived as providing particularly accurate information. Wilson (1968) told students that a speaker was a student, lecturer, or professor; later estimates of height were 2 inches higher in the professor condition than in student condition. Estimates of politicians heights higher after winning elections than before winning (higham & carment, 1992) Peters & ceci (1982) resubmitted previously published articles from prestigious institutions with a new low status affiliation (tri-valley center for human potential): 8/9 rejected. Advertising campaigns often stress expertise of the manufacturer (stress amount of time business has made product, actors portraying doctors or scientists) Bickman (1974) confederate in street clothes or security guard uniform requested people give money to someone. Similar effects with other requests (picking up paper bag, standing next to a bus sign)
