Abstract
Ordinary people complied with a harmful instruction when the room and the experimenter cue said the order was legitimate. The coat and the setting arrived before the moral sentence.
Milgram, S. (1963). Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67(4), 371–378. DOI
Key findings
- Cue before sentence — Role and setting released compliance before the instruction was weighed on its merits.
- Ordinary subjects — The effect was not reserved for a cruel minority; the frame did most of the carrying.
Application
When you feel a room raise your compliance or your price, name the coat before you rewrite the script. Pair White-coat authority.