Situational variables affecting obedience

Question 1

What is obedience?

Answer 1

A form of social influence where the individual has arguably less choice whether to behave in a particular way.

Question 2

What did Milgram’s study demonstrate?

Answer 2

That ordinary people are very obedient, even when asked to do something that goes against their own morality

Question 3

Who conducted a study on obedience?

Answer 3

Milgram

Question 4

How many participants were there in Milgram’s study?

Answer 4

40

Question 5

What gender were all of Milgram’s participants?

Answer 5

Male

Question 6

What was the false aim of Milgram’s study?

Answer 6

A study investigating how punishment affects learning

Question 7

Why did Milgram tell his participants a false aim?

Answer 7

So they wouldn’t suffer demand characteristics

Question 8

How many experimental confederates were there in Milgram’s study?

Answer 8

2

Question 9

Who were the experimental confederates in Milgram’s study?

Answer 9

The experimenter, and a ‘volunteer participant’

Question 10

How old was the confederate participant in Milgram’s study?

Answer 10

47

Question 11

What were the two roles in Milgram’s study?

Answer 11

Teacher and learner

Question 12

How were the roles in Milgram’s study assigned?

Answer 12

They drew lots

Question 13

How was Milgram’s ‘random’ assignment rigged?

Answer 13

The confederate always was assigned as the ‘learner’

Question 14

What was the task in Milgram’s study?

Answer 14

The teacher quizzed the learner on their ability to recall word pairs

Question 15

What happened if Milgram’s ‘learner’ got a question wrong?

Answer 15

They were administered an electric shock

Question 16

In what increment did Milgram’s electric shocks increase?

Answer 16

15 volts

Question 17

In what proximity were Milgram’s learner and teacher?

Answer 17

Different rooms

Question 18

Did the learner get the answers right in Milgram’s study?

Answer 18

No - but intentionally so

Question 19

What prods did the experimenter give the teacher?

Answer 19

You have no other choice but to continue

Question 20

What was the maximum voltage administered in Milgram’s study?

Answer 20

450 volts

Question 21

What percentage of Milgram’s participants continued to 450 volts?

Answer 21

65%

Question 22

What percentage of Milgram’s participants went to at least 300 volts?

Answer 22

100%

Question 23

What did Milgram’s study appear to suggest?

Answer 23

It’s not evil people who commit common atrocities but ordinary people following orders

Question 24

What are situational variables?

Answer 24

Circumstances that affect whether or not people obey

Question 25

What are the 3 situational variables that affect obedience identified by Milgram?

Answer 25

Proximity, uniform and location

Question 26

Where was Milgram’s baseline study conducted?

Answer 26

Yale University

Question 27

Where was Milgram’s location variation conducted?

Answer 27

Run down offices

Question 28

What did obedience drop to in Milgram’s location variation?

Answer 28

48%

Question 29

Why did obedience drop when Milgram conducted his study in run down offices?

Answer 29

The participants perceived the researchers authority as less legitimate

Question 30

Where were the teacher and learner in Milgram’s proximity variation?

Answer 30

In the same room

Question 31

What did obedience drop to in Milgram’s proximity variation?

Answer 31

40%

Question 32

What was Milgram’s touch proximity variation?

Answer 32

The teacher forced the learner’s hand on an electric plate

Question 33

What did obedience drop to in Milgram’s touch proximity variation?

Answer 33

30%

Question 34

What did obedience drop to in Milgram’s variation where instructions were given over the phone?

Answer 34

20.5%

Question 35

Why does decreased proximity lead to increased obedience?

Answer 35

It allows people to psychologically distance themselves from the consequences of their own actions

Question 36

What did the authority figure wear in Milgram’s baseline study?

Answer 36

White lab coat

Question 37

In Milgram’s variation where the authority figure wore no uniform, what did obedience drop to?

Answer 37

20%

Question 38

Why does the presence of uniform increase obedience?

Answer 38

They are associated as a symbol of authority

Question 39

What is the agentic state?

Answer 39

When a person sees themself as an agent for carrying out another persons wishes.

Question 40

What is the autonomous state?

Answer 40

Where an individual sees themself as responsible for their own actions

Question 41

What is the agentic shift?

Answer 41

The shift from the autonomous state to the agentic state

Question 42

In which study did participants exhibit an agentic shift?

Answer 42

Milgram’s

Question 43

Why do people adopt an agentic state?

Answer 43

To maintain a positive self image

Question 44

What is legitimate authority?

Answer 44

A person who has perceived authority in a social situation

Question 45

What are the 4 AO3 points of the effect of situational variables on obedience?

Answer 45

1) Research support for role of uniform 2) Internal validity - lack of realism 3) Real world challenges 4) Unethical

Question 46

Which two researchers conducted studies that support the role of uniform in obedience?

Answer 46

Bushman and Bickman

Question 47

What 3 'uniforms' did the female researcher in Bushman's study wear?

Answer 47

Police officer, a business executive or a beggar

Question 48

What did the researcher in Bushman's study ask citizens to do?

Answer 48

Give another researcher money for an expired parking metre

Question 49

In Bushman's study, what percentage of the citizens obeyed the 'police officer'?

Answer 49

72%

Question 50

In Bushman's study, what percentage of the citizens obeyed the 'beggar'?

Answer 50

52%

Question 51

In Bushman's study, what percentage of the citizens obeyed the 'business executive'?

Answer 51

48%

Question 52

Why did the citizens in Bushman's study say they obeyed the police officer?

Answer 52

Because she appeared to have authority

Question 53

What were the 3 uniforms in Bickman's study?

Answer 53

Milkman, security guard or civilian

Question 54

What did the researcher in Bickman's study ask citizens to do?

Answer 54

Pick up litter

Question 55

In Bickman's study, what percentage of the citizens obeyed the 'security guard'?

Answer 55

76%

Question 56

In Bickman's study, what percentage of the citizens obeyed the 'milkman'?

Answer 56

47%

Question 57

In Bickman's study, what percentage of the citizens obeyed the 'civillian'?

Answer 57

30%

Question 58

Why does Milgram's task lack mundane realism?

Answer 58

As everyday obedience = following teachers instructions etc

Question 59

Why is it likely that participants responded to demand characteristics in Milgram's study?

Answer 59

Conducted at Yale university (legitimate location), participants would have trusted that no serious harm would be done to the ‘learner’

Question 60

What real world situation can Milgram's findings be applied to?

Answer 60

Reserve battalion 101

Question 61

What were the men of the reserve battalion 101 asked to do?

Answer 61

Carry out the mass killing of Jews

Question 62

In the reserve battalion 101, what did the commanding officer offer the men?

Answer 62

That men who didn't feel up to it could be assigned another task

Question 63

In the reserve battalion 101, how many men accepted the offer to be assigned another task?

Answer 63

Very few

Question 64

How did Milgram justify his deception?

Answer 64

Avoided demand characteristics

Question 65

What signs of distress did Milgram's participants show?

Answer 65

Physiological and psychological

Question 66

Give examples of the distress displayed by Milgram's participants.

Answer 66

Uncontrollable seizures + many were crying, trembling + nervous laughing