Milgram / agentic state Flashcards
(28 cards)
Milgram APFC (1)
to see under what conditions would an individual obey authority
Milgram APFC (2)
- 40 men (20-30 years)
- paid $4.50
- participant + confederate (draw straws)
- Confederate rigged to always be learner
- presence of an ‘experimenter’
- teacher asks Q - learner wrong = shock
- 30 switches - voltage
Milgram APFC (2)
- 40 men (20-30 years)
- paid $4.50
- participant + confederate (draw straws)
- Confederate rigged to always be learner
- presence of an ‘experimenter’
- teacher asks Q - learner wrong = shock
- 30 switches - voltage
Milgram APFC (3)
- 65% = administered fatal (450v) highest
- 100% = reached 300v
- 18 variations of this study
Milgram APFC (4)
- situational variables affect results
- such as the formality of the location - the need to continue the experiment - experimenter ‘prods’
- obedience to authority is ingrained when authority is perceived as legitimate
Milgram variation 1 (females) how many reached 450v
65%
Milgram variation 2 (victim in the same room as the participant) how many reached 450v
40%
Milgram variation 3 (participant had to hold down the hand of the victim) how many reached 450v
30%
Milgram variation 4 (experimenter in separate room giving instructions) how many reached 450v
21%
reasons for the % in Milgram variation 1
men and women seemingly respond to authority similarly - situational aspects rather than dispositional many have an effect on people - some more susceptible but this is not a gendered difference
reasons for the % in Milgram variation 2
participant is closer to the victim, meaning they can see their actions and will feel more responsible - 2nd aspect of agentic state
reasons for the % in Milgram variation 3
Physically involved in the punishment - more likely to feel responsible, difficult to pas of responsibility - unable to ‘agentic shift’
reasons for the % in Milgram variation 4
Detached from the experimenter - authority not perceived as legitimate as before.
Hofling’s study APFC summary
- 22 nurses
- 90% overdose patients when ordered
- unknown drug used
- unfamiliar doctor gave order over phone
- cannot talk with other nurses when administering the drug
Rank and Jacobson APFC summary
- replicated Hofling
- ordered by familiar doctor in person
- ordered to administer Valium (familiar drug)
- nurses allowed to discuss before hand
- only 2/18 (11%) administered the drug
Milgram eval GOOD
- real life application - ecological validity
- ethics (debrief) 84% glad a year later
- Tarnow Et al (2000)
- procedure replicated a lot - consistent results = reliable
- good external validity (Hofling)
- Internal validity
Milgram eval GOOD (Tarnow Et al)
- assessed data from real-life settings
- authority in the cockpit
- 19/37 accidents = hesitation / over dependence
- too dependent on the captains authority and likelihood to overrule (even when false)
Milgram eval BAD
- Not supporting external validity = generalisability = Nazi Trapp = was very close to the Jewish group, killed them anyway
- Ethical issues = psych harm = Baumrind - severe emotional stress
- Mandel = over-generalised findings = oversimplification of holocaust
- ethical issues = informed consent - deception - right to withdraw
- Rank and Jacobson (lacks ecological validity)
-Orne and Holland (doubt internal validity) demand characteristics
what is the autonomous state
- when you act on your own will, taking responsibility for your own actions
what is the agentic shift
when you go from being in the autonomous state into the agentic state (requires two variables)
what two variables are needed to shift to the agentic state
- legitimise authority figure giving orders
- ensure responsibility figure will take responsibility for their actions
what is the agentic state
when you act as an agent for someone else’s will, passing on responsibility to the authority figure
what is moral strain
when in the agentic state - the individual may feel a moral strain or anxiety as the actions they are committing are against their own moral values
what are binding factors
essentially what keeps individuals in the agentic state when they are feeling moral strain
example - denying responsibility etc.
