5) Situational variable -conformity

Question 1

What are three situational variables explaining obedience

Answer 1

• Proximity
• Location
• Uniform

Question 2

What is proximity and its effect

Answer 2

• Closeness of teacher and learner, when teacher and learner in same room 60 to 45% obedience
• When experimenter left room obedience dropped to 20.5% (pretending to give shocks)
• Decreased proximity, psychologically distanced from consequences of their actions

Question 3

What is location and its effect

Answer 3

• Prestige of the setting (run down building - uni)
• Obedience dropped to 47%
• Higher in uni bc of the legitimate setting, had authority

Question 4

What is uniform and its effect

Answer 4

• Communicated authority
• Experimenter taken away by ‘phone call’, normal dressed member took over
• Obedience fell to 20% (lowest variation)
• Uniform strong symbol of authority

Question 5

EV 1 - Research support

Answer 5

• Bickman confederates diff outfits, demanding people to pick up litter
• 2x as likely to pick up from “security guard” than ‘jacket’ confed
• uniform oes have a powerful affect on obedience

Question 6

EV 2 - Cross-cultural replication

Answer 6

• Duch ps ordered to say stressful comments to interviewees
• 90% obedience, fell when proximity decreased
• No limited to American males but valid across cultures

Question 7

EV 3 - low internal validity

Answer 7

• Psychologists suggested the extra variations, trigger suspicion due to extra experimental manipulation
• especially where replaced by member of public
• obedience or play acting ?
  (demand characteristics)