Explanations for obedience

Question 1

Define Agentic state

Answer 1

This is when a person believes that someone else will take responsibility for
their own actions

Question 2

What is agency theory?

Answer 2

The idea that people are more likely to
obey when they are in the agentic state as they do not believe they will suffer the consequences of those actions. This is because they believe that they are acting on behalf
of their agent.

Question 3

Define legitimacy of authority

Answer 3

This describes how credible the figure of authority is. People are more likely to obey them if they are seen as credible in terms of being morally good/right, and legitimate (i.e. legally based or law abiding).

Question 4

what are the 3 situational factors affecting obedience?

Answer 4

authority figure, location and uniform

Question 5

How does uniform affect obedience levels?

Answer 5

A person is more likely to obey someone wearing a uniform as it gives them a higher
status and a greater sense of legitimacy. It was found that obedience was much higher
when the experimenter wore a lab coat as opposed to normal clothes. However, demand
characteristics were particularly evident in this condition, with even Milgram admitting that
many participants could see through this deception.

Question 6

How does location affect obedience levels?

Answer 6

A person is more likely to obey someone in a location linked to higher status and
legitimacy. Milgram’s study was conducted at a prestigious American university (Yale), and
so obedience was greater than in a variation of the study conducted in a rundown office.
This is because the prestigious nature of specific locations demand obedience from
participants as well as potentially increasing the trust that they place in the researchers.

Question 7

How does the authority figure affect obedience levels?

Answer 7

A person is more likely to obey when they are less able to see the negative consequences
of their actions and are in closer proximity to the authority figure. This is because it
increases the pressure to obey and decreases the pressure to resist. In Milgram’s study,
obedience was higher when the experimenter was in the same room (62.5%) as the
participant as opposed to being in a different room and speaking over the phone i.e. the
remote instruction condition (20.5% obedience levels).