Obedience: Situational Explanations - Evaluation

Question 1

What limitation does the agentic shift have according to critics?

Answer 1

The agentic shift doesnt explain many research findings like why some participants did not obey or the findings of Hofling et al., where 21 out of 22 nurses obeyed unjustified demands.

Nurses didnt show levels of anxiety as milgram predicted

• agentic shift can only acccount for some situations of obedience

Question 2

What’s another limitation of agentic shift?

Answer 2

Evidence shows behaviour of nazis cant be explained via authority or an agentic shift, Mandel described an incident with the germany reserve police battalion

Men obeyed orders to shoot civilians despite not being forced with alternative options

Question 3

What’s a strength of legitimacy of authority related to Blass and Schmitt?

Answer 3

Blass and Schmitt (showed students film of milgrams study) found that students blamed the experimenter for harm done to the learner, attributing responsibility to legitimate authority.

recognised legitimacy of authority as the cause of obedience

Question 4

What’s another strength of legitimacy of authority regarding cultural differences?

Answer 4

Cultural differences affect obedience to authority, it’s more accepted in some cultures and entitled to demand obedience

Kilham and Mann found that 16% of partipants went to 450 volts in a replication in australia
Mantell found 85% went to 450 volts

Question 5

What’s another strength of legitimacy of authority regarding cross cultural research?

Answer 5

Increases validity of explanation and explains real life war crimes

Kelman and Hamilton argues the My Lai massacre can be understood in terms of the power hierarchy of the US army