Explanations of obedience

Question 1

Agentic state definition

Answer 1

This is when a person believed that someone else will take responsibility for their own actions.

Question 2

What happens when a person shifts from an autonomous state to the agentic state

Answer 2

It is called an agentic shift

Question 3

Legitimacy of authority

Answer 3

Describes how credible the figure of authority is. People are more likely to obey if the authority figure is perceived as credible, morally right, and legitimate

Question 4

Give an example of legitimacy of authority from Milgrams study

Answer 4

participants saw the experimenter as legitimate because he was a scientist, making him knowledgeable and responsible. This is called expert authority. His authority was justified as he held the highest position within the social hierarchy of the experiment.

Question 5

Situational Factors - Uniform meaning

Answer 5

A person is more likely to obey someone wearing a uniform as it grants higher status and legitimacy.

Question 6

An example of Situational Factors - Uniform

Answer 6

Obedience was higher when the experimenter wore a lab coat compared to normal clothes. However, demand characteristics were present, with some participants seeing through the deception.

Question 7

Situational factors - location meaning

Answer 7

A person is more likely to obey someone in a location linked to higher status and legitimacy.

Question 8

Example for situational factors - location

Answer 8

Milgram’s study was conducted at Yale University, where obedience was higher compared to a variation in a rundown office. Prestigious locations demand obedience and increase trust in researchers.

Question 9

Situational factors - Proximity meaning

Answer 9

A person is more likely to obey when they are in closer proximity to the authority figure and unable to see the negative consequences of their actions.

Question 10

An example for Situational Factors - Proximity

Answer 10

In Milgram’s study, obedience was 62.5% when the experimenter was in the same room, compared to 20.5% when giving instructions over the phone.

Question 11

A03 - Milgram’s study Validity
(Weakness)

Answer 11

✅Point: Some researchers questioned whether participants believed the electric shocks were real.

✅Evidence: Gina Perry reviewed interview tapes and found many participants questioned the legitimacy of the shocks.

✅Explanation: However, Milgram’s quantitative data showed that 70% of participants believed the shocks were real. The findings are plausible given that 100% of females in Sheridan and King’s study administered real shocks to puppies.

✅Link: This suggests that although Milgram’s findings were surprising, they were likely to be accurate.

Question 12

A03 - Real life applications (strength)

Answer 12

✅Point: Agentic state and legitimacy of authority can explain real-life obedience to destructive authority.

✅Evidence: Kilham and Mann highlighted the My Lai Massacre, where American soldiers obeyed orders from generals and massacred Vietnamese civilians.

✅Explanation: The soldiers shifted responsibility to their generals, whose authority was legitimate due to their high military rank.

✅Link: This supports both theories as valid explanations of obedience.

Question 13

A03 - Demand characteristics
(Weakness)

Answer 13

✅Point: Milgram’s variations, particularly the removal of a uniform, may have lacked validity.

✅Evidence: Milgram admitted that using a ‘normal citizen’ instead of a scientist in a lab coat might have been too obvious a substitution.

✅Explanation: Decreased obedience in this condition may have been due to participants behaving according to their expectations rather than genuine obedience.

✅Link: This suggests that demand characteristics may have influenced the results, reducing the validity of the study. ✅