5 - Obedience: Situational Variables Flashcards
What are situational variables?
Variables related to external circumstances that can impact obedient behaviour (as a pose to it being impacted by disposition)
What is disposition?
Personality
What are the three situational variables that Milgram investigated?
- Proximity
- Location
- Uniform
Why did Milgram complete variations of his original study?
Now he knew people were often obedient to a perceived authority figure, he wanted to know if any situational variables would affect how obedient they were
What is proximity?
Physical closeness between someone/something
What was the proximity in Milgram’s original study?
- Teacher (ppt) + experimenter = in same room (see + hear)
- Teacher (ppt) + learner = in separate rooms (hear but not see)
How many ways did Milgram vary the proximity? What were these ways?
3
- Proximity variation (teacher + learner in same room)
- Touch proximity variation (teacher forces learner’s hand onto shock plate)
- Remote-instruction proximity variation (teacher received instructions from experimenter on phone)
How was obedience affected by the proximity variation?
Obedience fell to 40%
How was obedience affected by the touch proximity variation?
Obedience fell to 30%
How was obedience affected by the remote instruction proximity variation?
Obedience fell to 20.5%
What can be concluded about the affect of proximity on obedience?
As proximity to consequences increases, obedience decreases
- (Proximity between teacher + learner)
- Because can see consequences, so feel more accountable
As proximity to instructor decreases, obedience decreases
- (Proximity between teacher + experimenter)
- Because feel less monitored, so less pressure to obey
What is location?
Place where instructed to obey
What was the location of Milgram’s original study?
Yale lab (prestigious, scientific)
How did Milgram vary location?
Moved to run down office in Bridgeport, Connecticut
How was obedience affected by the location variation?
Obedience fell to 47.5%
What can be concluded about the affect of location on obedience?
As location reduces in prestige, obedience decreases
- (Move away from Yale)
- Because there it reduces the legitimacy of the authority, reducing obedience
What is uniform?
Outfit worn by figure giving orders
What was the uniform of the experimenter in Milgram’s original study?
Lab coat
How did Milgram vary uniform?
Replaced experimenter with member of public wearing everyday clothes
How did the uniform variation affect obedience?
Obedience fell to 20%
What can be concluded about the affect of uniform on obedience?
As uniform increases in status, obedience increases
- (Lab coat)
- Because person giving instructions is seen as holding a higher position on the social authoritative hierarchy
List the situational variables in order from affecting obedience least to affecting obedience most
- Original: 65%
- Location: 47.5%
- Proximity: 40%
- Touch proximity: 30%
- Remote instruction proximity: 20.5%
- Uniform: 20%
Which situation variable had the greatest impact on obedience levels?
Uniform
Outline a piece of research that supports the concept that uniform does have a great impact on obedience levels
Bickman (1974)
- NY
- Field experiment
- Confederates in diff uniforms: milkman, jacket + tie, security guard
- Confederates instructed passers by (ppts) to do something, e.g. give coin for parking meter
- Ppts twice as likely to obey confederate in guard uniform (80%) than jacket + tie uniform (40%)
- Shows uniform is a situational factor impacting obedience
Give 2 positive evaluation points for Milgram’s situational variables studies
Methodology has high control
- Independent variables (situation variables) manipulated one at a time
- Rest of procedure controlled
- Able to purely measure effect of situational variable on obedience (high internal validity)
Cross-cultural replications generally support findings
- Miranda et al (1981) found over 90% obedience in Spanish students
- Suggests findings about tendency to obey are generalisable
BUT - Spain is another Western, individualist society (may be bound to these types of similar societies)
Give 2 negative evaluation points for Milgram’s situational variables studies
Methodology increases fear of low internal validity
- Orne + Holland criticised original study for low internal validity, due to demand characteristics
- May be more demand characteristics in variations because of extra manipulation
- E.g. Milgram recognised that ppts may highly doubt the realism of the remote instruction proximity variation
Issue - ‘obedience alibi’
- Mandel (1998) argues it provides an obedience alibi
- Shouldn’t be able to use situation as excuse for horrible crimes (e.g. by Nazis in Holocaust) as it devalues survivor’s experiences
