Situational variables

Question 1

What was the aim of Milgram’s key study?

Answer 1

• Researching how far people would go in obeying instructions if another person was being harmed
• Interested in how easily ordinary people can be influenced into committing atrocities

Question 2

What was the procedure of Milgram’s key study?

Answer 2

• 40 males between 20 andd 50yrs old - jobs ranged from unskilled to professionals
• Confederate was always the learner
• Experimenter dressed in a grey lab coat
• Two rooms in Yale were used, one for learner with an electric chair and one with teacher with shock generator
• Teacher tests learner with word pairs ,
• Teacher is told to shock learner every time they made a mistake
• Learner gave wrong answers on purpose and shocks ranged from 15 to 450 volts
• There were four prods - please continue, experiment requires you to continue, absolutely essential you continue, you have no other choice but to continue

Question 3

What were the results of Milgram’s key study?

Answer 3

• 65% of pp’s continued to highest level of 450 volts and all continued to 300 volts
• Carried out 18 variants of the study and altered the IV to see how it affected the DV

Question 4

What are the strengths of this key study?

Answer 4

-Reliable, repeated twice
- Laboraroty setting, controlled

Question 5

What are the weaknesses of Milgram’s key study?

Answer 5

• External validity - laboratory conditions
• Bias - All male
• Ethical issues - right to withdraw

Question 6

What factors affect conformity?

Answer 6

• Locus of control
• Size of majority
• Uniform
• Proximity
• Location

Question 7

What situational factors affect obedience?

Answer 7

• Presence of authority figures
• Social norms
• Proximity