Explanations For Obedience (Agentic State, Legitimacy Of Authority, Situational Factors) Flashcards
What is the agentic state?
The state where one believes that someone else will take responsibility for their own actions.
What are ‘agents’?
People who act in the place of another individual.
What is the agency theory?
The idea that people are more likely to obey when they are in the agentic state, as they believe they won’t suffer the consequences of their actions.
(They may experience moral strain).
What is the autonomous state?
The state where one is deemed personally responsible for their actions.
What is the agentic shift?
Autonomous State -> Agentic State.
What is legitimacy of authority?
How credible an authority figure is.
What was the aim of Milgram (1963)?
To observe whether people would obey an authority figure when told to harm another person.
What was the method of Milgram (1963)?
Confederates: learner, experimenter. Participant: teacher.
Teacher asks learner questions. For every wrong answer, teacher gives the learner a ‘shock’ (15V, going up by 15V for every wrong answer).
At 300V, learner pounds on wall and doesn’t respond to the next question.
An absence in response is to be treated as a wrong answer.
What were the results of Milgram (1963)?
*300V- 100% conformed.
*450V- 65% conformed.
What are the factors affecting obedience levels?
-Proximity.
-Location.
-Uniform.
How does proximity affect obedience levels?
Less proximity to authority figure (or more proximity to victim), less obedience levels.
Original- experimenter in room, divider between teacher and learner.
-Experimenter leaves room for a phone call: 20.5%.
How does location affect obedience levels?
Less prestigious location, less obedience levels.
Original- Yale University.
-Run down building (NYC): 47.5%.
How does uniform affect obedience levels (Bickman (1974))?
Field experiment, 153 participants.
-Security guard: 73%.
-Milkman: 47%.
-Normal: 30%.
Hofling (1966) - Rank & Jacobson (1977)
Doctor name.
Surrounding People.
Drug Type.
Findings.
Mr. Smith (unknown) - Mr. Wallace (known).
Alone - With Others.
Fake - Real.
21/22 Obeyed (95%) - 2/18 obeyed (11%).
What are evaluation points for Milgram?
-Real life application- Holocaust.
-Lack of ecological validity- artificial task.
-Supporting studies- Hofling (1966) establishes external validity.
-Ethical issues- deception (and therefore lack of informed consent), psychological & physical (seizures due to moral strain) harm.
