situational variables affecting obedience

Question 1

proximity

Answer 1

This refers to the physical closeness of the authority figure or victim to the participant.
When the participant and learner were in the same room, obedience dropped from 65% to 40%.
When the teacher had to force the learner’s hand onto shock plate, obedience dropped even further to 30%.
When the experimenter left the room and gave instructions via telephone, obedience dropped to 20.5%.

Question 2

location

Answer 2

This refers to the prestige or legitimacy of the setting. Milgram found that obedience was higher in more professional settings. When conducted in the original setting of Yale University, obedience was 65%. However, when replicated in a run-down office building, obedience fell to 48%.

Question 3

uniform

Answer 3

In Milgram’s original study, the experimenter wore a lab coat as a symbol of authority, which produced 65% obedience. However, when the experimenter was replaced halfway through by someone wearing ordinary clothes, obedience dropped to 20%.

Question 4

AO3 - Bickman uniforms

Answer 4

Bickman investigated the effects of uniform on obedience. He used 3 male confederates dressed as either a milkman, a security guard or in ordinary clothes. All confederates asked members of the public to follow one of three instructions: pick up a bag, give someone money for a parking meter, or stand on the other side of a bus stop which said ‘no standing’. The security guard gained the highest obedience of 38%, the milkman 14% and the ordinary person 19%.

Question 5

AO3 - Milgram lacks ecological validity

Answer 5

Some of Milgram’s variations may lack external validity, particularly ecological validity. For example, administering fake electric shocks in a lab does not reflect real-life obedience situations, such as those involving moral or legal consequences. Therefore, the findings may not fully generalise to real-world settings.
However, the systematic control of variables enables the study to be repeated, increasing reliability.

Question 6

AO3 - other factors (culture) play more important role

Answer 6

While situational variables like uniform and proximity are important, research suggests that other factors, such as culture also play an important role. Kilham and Mann replicated Milgram’s study in Australia and found that only 16% of participants gave 450V. However, when conducted in Germany, 85% gave 450V. This cross cultural comparison shows that different societies follow alternative hierarchical structures and children may be socialised differently from a young age to be more or less obedient. Suggests that situational factors are important but other factors may play a more significant role.