Situational Variables Affecting Obedience

Question 1

Milgrams original findings

Answer 1

• All participants went up to 300V, 65% went up to 450V
• 5 refused to continue at 300V, total of 14 participants defied the experiment
• Participants were nervous, 14 of the 40 had laughing fits
• 3 participants had full blown uncontrollable seizures.
• After debriefing 84% said they were glad they took part

Question 2

how did proximity affect findings

Answer 2

• In proximity variation, teacher and learner in same room, 65% → 40%
• In touch proximity variation, where teacher had to force learners hand on a shock plate obedience dropped to 30%
• In the remote instruction variation obedience dropped to 20.5%

Question 3

How did location affect findings

Answer 3

In the run down building variation obedience went from 65% → 47.5%

Question 4

How did uniform affect findings

Answer 4

When the experimenter wore regular everyday clothes obedience dropped to 20%

Question 5

strength - bickman

Answer 5

• 3 male researchers went up to 153 New York pedestrians and gave them tasks
• 1 dressed in a suit, 1 as a milkman, 1 as a guard
• Guard had 80% obedience, milkman had 40%

Question 6

strength - good control of variables

Answer 6

He kept all other variables constant while changing one only, stronger conclusions can be drawn as a result of this

Question 7

weakness - lack on internal validity

Answer 7

participants may have been showing demand characteristics

Question 8

weakness - obedience alibi

Answer 8

argued that situational variables like proximity allows for them to be used as an excuse or alibi for evil and bad behaviour.