ABSTRACT
This chapter describes what are among the most ethically suspect studies in the history of social psychology. One of the virtues of social psychology is that it calls attention to this error by revealing the ubiquitous and powerful external influences on human behavior. The bungled break-in and attempted cover-up came to light during that years presidential campaign. Congressional impeachment hearings followed, culminating in the resignation of President Nixon in 1974. It was a scandal of grand proportions that begged for explanation. Anyone with ethical scruples will be glad to know that a break-in never took place. A study by Gilbert and Jones found that they did so even when they themselves had assigned the position taken by a speechwriter. Whether participants agreed or refused to participate in the burglary, and what reasons they gave for their decision, were the main dependent variables.
