Explanations for Obendience Flashcards
What are two key explanations for obedience?
The Agentic state and Legitimacy of authority
What did Milgrim Propose? (Agentic state)
The idea of agency theory - we are socialised from a young age to obey the rule and in doing this people give up some of their free will.
When an individual acts according to their own wished then enter an autonomic state and when they follow an authority figure’s wished they enter an agentic state (authority figure responsible for what they do)
How does Milgrim’s experiment support agentic state?
Most participants reported in the debrief that they were under moral strain but continued to obey orders as they felt they had to obey command of higher ranked authority figure
What part of Milgrim’s experiment showed an autonomous state?
In the ‘remote authority’ area (1974) where confederate researcher wasn’t in the same room as teacher but gave orders on a telephone link - obedience declined from 62.5% to 20.5% suggesting autonomous state of participants - saw themselves responsible for their actions
What is legitimacy of authority?
Obedient individuals accept the power and the status of authority figures to give orders - they are seen as being in charge- links to agent theory (people socialised to recognise value of obedience)
How did Milgrim’s study support legitimacy of authority?
Reported that some participants ignored the learners apparent distress but instead focused on the procedure - so they could be seen as doing their duty properly therefore recognising the legitimate authority of the researcher
What is a situational variable affecting obedience?
Aspects of the environment affecting how obedient someone will be
What are the three situational variables affecting obedience?
Proximity
Location
Uniforms
How does proximity affect obedience?
Involves how aware individuals are of the consequences of their actions in obeying authority figure.
What research supports proximity?
Milgrim (1974) found that when the teacher and learner were in the same room and teacher could see learners distress obedience declined from 62.5% to 40%. When teacher had to force learners hand on to ‘shock plate’ decreased again to 30%
How does location affect obedience?
Locations could be relevant to amount of perceived authority a person giving orders is seen to have. In locations that add perceived authority - obedience rates will be higher
What research supports location?
Milgrim (1974) performed a variation of his study in a run down office block and obedience dropped from 62.5% to 47.5% suggesting change in location from Yale reduced perceived authority
How does uniform affect obedience?
Wearing of uniform can give a perception of added legitimacy of authority figures when delivering orders therefore increasing obedience rates (In Milgrim’s experiment confederate researcher wore lab coat to give an air of authority)
What research supports uniform?
Bickman(1974) found when ordering people in new York to pick up litter, move away from a bus stop etc when he was in civilian clothes obedience = 19% but when dressed as a security guard 38% obeyed
What is the dispositional explanation for obedience?
The authoritarian personality
