Obedience-situational variables

Question 1

proximity

Answer 1

• the physical closeness or distance of an authority figure to the person they are giving the order to
• refers to the physical closeness of the teacher to the learner in Milgram
• Touch proximity- teacher had to force learners hand onto electroshock plate, obedience dropped to 30%
• remote instruction variation- experimenter left the room and gave instructions to the learner by phone- obedience dropped to 20.5%
• decreased proximity allows people to psychologically distance themselves from the consequences of their actions

Question 2

Location

Answer 2

• Milgram conducted a variation in a rundown office block rather than in the prestigious Yale University- obedience fell to 47.5%
• The prestigious university environment gave Milgram’s study legitimacy and authority
• Participants were therefore more obedient in this location because they perceived that the Experimenter shared this legitimacy

Question 3

Uniform

Answer 3

• In the baseline study the experimenter wore a grey labcoat as a symbol of his authority
• In a variation, the experimenter was called away and a member of the public (a confederate) took over the role of the experimenter in every day clothes
• Obedience dropped to 20%
• Uniforms encourage obedience because they are widely recognised symbols of legitimate authority

Question 4

Research Support

Strength

Answer 4

• Bickman (1974)- ield experiment where three confederates dressed in normal clothes, milkman outfit, security uniform
• Confederates individually stood in the street and asked passers-by to perform tasks e.g. picking up litter
• People twice as likely to obey the security guard than the one in normal clothes
• Supports the view that uniform is a powerful situational variable

Question 5

Cross-cultural replications

Strength

Answer 5

• Meeus and Raaijmakers (1986) used a more realistic procedure to Dutch participants
• participants were ordered to say stressful things in an interview to someone desperate for a job
• 90% obeyed and when they increased proximity obediemce decreased
• Suggests Milgrams findings are not just limited to American males

Question 6

Low internal validity

Answer 6

• Participants may have been awarethe procedure was faked
• Orne and Holland made this criticism of Milgram’s baseline study
• Even more likely in his variations because of the extra manipulation of variables
• Even Milgram said that in the variation where the Experimenter was replaced by a member of the public that this situation was so contrived that some participants may have worked out the trith
• In Milgram’s studies it is unclear whether the findings are due to demand characteristics or the operation of obedience