Explanations for Obedience - Situational Variables

Question 1

What are situational variables?

Answer 1

Situational factors - behaviours in external factors that affect likelihood of obedience to authority

• researcher’s presence
• uniform
• lab setting
• the prods

Question 2

AGENTIC THEORY

Answer 2

AGENTIC THEORY

• Milgram proposed that people actually have 2 states of behaviour when they are in a social situation
• Autonomous state: we act according to our own moral values and we feel responsible for our actions
• Agentic state: we act according to the orders given by an authority figure, we see ourselves as agents of others and dont feel responsible for our actions
• Agentic shift: people move from autonomy to agency when given orders by an authority figure
• If we obey an order against our conscience we experience moral strain
• Binding factors reduce our moral strain (such as reassuring ourselves it is not our responsibility)

Question 3

EVALUATION for Agentic Theory

Answer 3

EVALUATION

• Support in studies using public opinion - Blass and Schmitt
• Limited explanation - Milgram - individual differences

Question 4

EVAL: Support in studies using public opinion (agentic theory)

Answer 4

Support in studies using public opinion

• Blass and Schmitt showed film of Milgram’s study to students and asked them who was responsible for the harm done to the learner
• they blamed the experimenter - milgram ppts in agentic state
• not controlled scientific experiment
• public recognised and identified agentic state as an explanation

Question 5

EVAL: Limited explanation (agentic theory)

Answer 5

Limited explanation

• all of Milgram’s ppts were on the same agentic state so all of them should have obeyed but 35% did not
• individual differences, some can resist agentic state due to personality (strong-willed)
• weakness, fails to consider dispositional factors

Question 6

LEGITIMACY OF AUTHORITY

Answer 6

LEGITIMACY OF AUTHORITY

• we feel obligated to those in power as we respect them
• we trust them due to them being above us in the social hierarchy
• so society function smoothly and protects us from wrondoers
• we give up some of our independence

Question 7

KEY STUDIES for Legitimacy of Authority

Answer 7

KEY STUDIES

• Milgram - ppts obey experimenter in lab coat at Yale University as this gave a degree of trust
• Hofling - 21/22 nurses carried out instruction by an unknown doctor
• Bickman - security guard exercised more authority than a civilian

Question 8

Legitimacy of Authority - Milgram variations

Answer 8

MILGRAM VARIATIONS

• location: rundown building - ppts who went to 450V from 65% in lab to 48%
• uniform: confederate in casual clothes - 20% went to max - unclear whether uniform or experimenters role/social status was the contributing factor
• proximity: same room - 40%
• proximity: over phone - 21%
• the closer person is to the authority figure the more likely they are to obey
• the closer person is the to the actions of their consequences the less likely they are to obey

Question 9

EVALUATION for legitimacy of authority

Answer 9

EVALUATION

• Cross-cultural comparisons - Kilman and Mann, Mantell
• Negates personal responsibility

Question 10

EVAL: Cross-cultural comparisons (legitimacy of authority)

Answer 10

Cross-cultural comparisons

• Kilman and Mann replicated Milgram’s orginal study and found that only 16% obeyed to max
• Mantell found that 85% obeyed in Germany
• different hierarchial stuctures, children socialise differently
• other factors may play a more significant role than just situational

Question 11

EVAL: Negates personal responsibility (legitimacy of authority)

Answer 11

Negates personal responsibility

• situational explanations may excuse actions of the individual
• fails to consider free will to disobey
• theoretical weakness, ethical weakness