William is a police officer who is instructed by a superior officer to beat a suspect in order to obtain a confession. According to research conducted on obedience, William is more likely to disobey this order if:
A) the superior officer is in the room with William and the suspect.
B) another senior officer agrees that William should beat the suspect.
C) the suspect asks William to stop.
D) William sees another police officer refuse to continue beating the suspect.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Research on obedience (specifically the Milgram experiments) has shown that individuals are more likely to disobey orders when they see others refusing to comply with the same orders. Therefore, if William sees another police officer refuse to continue beating the suspect, he may be more likely to disobey as well.

William Is a Police Officer Who Is Instructed by a Superior