Bocchiaro (Social Area)

Question 1

Bocchiaro Aims

Answer 1

To investigate if disobedient and whistle-blowers have different personality characteristics to those who obey.

Question 2

Bocchiaro Sample

Answer 2

149 undergraduates (96 women and 53 males) recruited by flyers in the campus Cafeteria at the VU university in Amsterdam

Question 3

Bocchiaro Procedure

Answer 3

Room 1 - Preliminary Stage:
the participants meets a researcher in the lab of the university. The researcher was formally dressed and had a stern demeanour. The researcher asked them to write down names of 5 fellow students and then gave them a fake cover story about the research he was conducting

Room 2 - The Task:
After reading the scenario participants were given 3 minutes to think about the decision they have to make. They were then taken into a new room and sat in front of a computer and asked to write a statement for their fellow students recommending the research. There is a research committee form and a mail box and if they ticked the form that would mean they have whistleblown. The researcher leaves the room for 7 minutes and the participants are now left to either write the statement or not and decide whether or not to report the research to the ethics committee.

Question 4

Bocchiaro Quantitive Results

Answer 4

Obedient = 114 people (76.5%)
Disobedient = 21 people (14.1%)
Open Whistleblower = 5 (3.4%)
Anonymous Whistleblower = 9 (6%)