Obedience: Situational variables Flashcards
(23 cards)
What are situational variables in the context of Milgram’s study?
Factors in the environment that affect obedience, such as proximity, location, and uniforms.
What was the obedience rate in Milgram’s baseline study (Teacher could hear but not see Learner)?
65% of participants obeyed to 450V
What was the obedience rate in the ‘proximity’ variation ?
(Teacher and Learner in the same room) 40% obeyed.
What was the obedience rate in the ‘touch proximity’ variation?
(Teacher forced Learner’s hand onto shock plate) 305 obeyed.
What was the obedience rate in the ‘remote instruction’ variation?
(Experimenter gave orders by phone) 20.5 obeyed. Many pretended to give the shocks.
Why does decreased proximity reduce obedience?
Being physically closer increases psychological awareness of harm, making it harder to obey harmful instructions.
What was the obedience rate when the study was moved to a run-down office block?
45.7% obeyed.
Why did obedience drop in the office block location?
the location lacked the authority and prestige of Yale University, so the experiment seemed less legitimate.
What was the obedience rate when the Experimenter was replaced by an ‘ordinary member of the public’ in everyday clothes?
205 obeyed - the lowest obedience level recorded.
Why does uniform affect obedience?
Uniform is a symbol of legitimate authority, without it, people fell less pressure to obey.
What situational variable did Bickman (1974) investigate in his field experiment?
The effect of uniform on obedience
What was the procedure of Bickman’s (1974) study?
Confederates dressed as a security guard, milkman, or in a jacket and tie asked passers-by to perform tasks (e.g pick up litter).
What did Bickman (1974) find?
People were twice as likely to obey the confederate dressed as a security guard than one in a jacket and tie.
How does Bickman’s study support Milgram?
It supports the idea that situational variables like uniform significantly affect obedience.
What criticism did smith and Bond (1998) make about cross-cultural replications of Milgram?
Most replications were done in Western cultures similar to the US (e.g. spain., australia, scotland)
How many replications were done in culturally different countries?
Only two - in India and Jordan between 1968-1985
What does this imply about generalising Milgram’s findings?
We cannot confidently generalise to non-western cultures.
What did Orne and Holland (1968) criticise about Milgram’s study?
They argued that participants may have realised the setup was fake, especially in the variations.
Which variation is a key example of this issue?
The one where the experimenter is replaced by a member of the public.
Why does this threaten the internal validity of Milgram’s study?
Because obedience might not be genuine - participants may have been play-acting, not truly obeying.
What does Milgram’s research support in explaining obedience?
A situational explanation, focusing on factors like proximity, location, and uniform
Who criticised the situational explanation of obedience and why?
Mandel suggested it is offensive to Holocaust survivors because it suggests that the Nazis were just obeying orders, removing personal responsibility.
What key factors does Milgram’s explanation overlook, according to critics?
The role of dispositional factors, such as personality, implying people were passive victims of the situation.
