Situational Variables Affecting Obedience

Question 1

What are the 3 variables

Answer 1

Proximity, location & unifrom

Question 2

Why did Milgram (1974) conduct several variations

Answer 2

To determine which situational variables lead to higher obedience & which reduced it

Question 3

What happened in the proximity variation (how physically close the teacher / learner / victim are) touch proximity + absent experimenter variations

Answer 3

-> teacher & learner seated in the same room (obedience from 65 % fell to 40% as teacher experienced Mr Wallace’s anguish directly)
-> touch proximity variation - the teacher had to force the learners arm down onto the metal plate to administer the shock (obedience = 30%) (admission of guilt)
-> absent experimenter variation - experimenter left after giving instructions & gave orders by phone ; obedience rate dropped to 20.5%

Question 4

What happened in the alternative setting variation (location test)

Answer 4

• experiment carried out in a rundown office in downtown Bridgeport Connecticut, by an experimenter wearing casual clothes
  -> obedience dropped to 47.5% (from 65 in yake)
  -> participants reported location of Yale gave the, confidence in the integrity of the experimenter & the lower status made the, question legitimacy in his authority

Question 5

What happened in the uniform variation

Answer 5

• Milgram carried out a variation where the experimenter was called away because of a phone call at the start of the procedure; the role of the experimenter was then taken over by an ordinary member of the public (a confederate) in everyday clothes (no lab cost)

-> obedience fell to 20% - lowest

Question 6

Strengths of Milgram’s variations (1974)

Answer 6

Research Support (Bickman 1974)

Cross cultural replication

High level of control

Question 7

What was Bickman 1974 - the power of uniforms

Answer 7

3 male researchers gave orders to 153 random pedestrians in uniform
-> they were dressed differently: milkman uniform, guard uniform, suit
- gave orders such as, pick up this bag for me
- participants most likely to obey the researcher dressed as a guard (80%) than the milk man or civilian (40%)
- supports Milgram’s conclusion that uniform conveys authority

Question 8

How does Milgram’s research & variation have cross cultural replication

Answer 8

-> Miranda et al (1981) found high obedience rates in Spanish students (90%) , suggesting Milgram’s conclusions about obedience are not limited to American males, but apply to females / other cultures too

-> however, these are both developed societies, we might not be able to apply these to all countries

Question 9

How was the control of variables in Milgram’s variations

Answer 9

• highly controlled as he only changed one variable each time, keeping the rest constant
• therefore, research is valid, highly replicable, and can lead to a strong cause and effect relationship about the situation variables and obedience

Question 10

Weaknesses of Milgram’s situational findings

Answer 10

• the obedience alibi (David Mandel - 1998)
• lack of internal validity

Question 11

What did David Mandel argue (1998) [the obedience alibi]

Answer 11

That using these situational variables almost makes them an excuse for evil behaviour e.g. saying the reasons Nazi’s committed atrocity was due to situational factors beyond their control
-> even though, Milgram’s findings definitely support situational variables as an explanation