Explanations For Obediance-situational Flashcards
What are situational explanations?
Certain things about the situation people are in can make them obey an authority figure
What are dispositional explanations for obedience?
Things about the person can make them obey an authority figure
What is the agentic state?
We follow instructions from someone who we perceive has legitimate authority over us such as a teacher or police officer as we believe that they will take away the responsibility of the actions
What is the agentic shift?
Moving from an autonomous state (feeling control over and responsibility for own actions) to an agentic state(do not choose how to act as they are told what to do and act as an ‘agent’ to the authority figure)
What is evidence for Agentic state?
Hofling et al, the nurses were obedient as they believed the doctor would take responsibility for their actions
What is legitimate authority?
Someone who is perceived to be in a position of social control within a situation. We are taught from a very young age that people who have legitimate authority are to be obeyed because they are respected and can be trusted. They also have the power to punish, e.g police
Research to support legitimate authority?
Bushman- dressed as beggar / police woman asked people to pay for mans parking ticket
Why is it difficult to separate the effects of the situation and personality in explanations for obedience?
The reason why people obey could be due to the situation that they are in, however it could also be due to their personality. If people have an authoritarian personality or an external locus of control they are more likely to obey naturally to the way that they are. However, the situation can also increase the chances of them obeying, for example if there are buffers. Therefore it is very difficult to use research evidence to support these explanations as there may be something else not studied that is causing people to obey (for example an authoritarian personality) therefore it is difficult to use research studies to support the explanations for why people obey
Why is it difficult to isolate the main factor that causes obedience?
In Milgram’s research people could have obeyed due to the fact that they were Init asked the shock in 15 volt increments; the fact that there was a legitimate authority present; the fact that the wall acted as a bugger; or due to the fact that people asked the experimenter if they would be held responsible (so were in the agentic state) as there were so many possible reasons why people obeyed, it is very difficult to identify the main reason why. Therefore we do not know if one of these factors caused people to obey, or if it was a combination of all of them thus we are unable to identify the cause of obedience in Milgram’s research.
