Explanations of obedience to authority Flashcards
Who conducted RTS?
Hofling
What did Hofling do?
He conducted a study using nurses on a hospital ward who were ordered by an unknown doctor to give a dangerous dose of a drug to patients via telephone
What did Hofling find?
21 out of 22 nurses agreed to give the medication even though they knew not to take orders over the phone
Why does Hofling’s research support legitimacy of authority and agentic state?
LOA - the doctors had more authority than the nurses
AS - the nurses may have felt the doctors were ultimately responsible as the authority figure
Who conducted RTC?
Mandel
What did Mandel find?
He described one incident involving German Nazi soldiers where men obeyed the orders to shoot civilians in a small town in Poland however they were told beforehand they could be given other duties instead
Why does Mandel contradict the agentic state?
The soldiers chose to shoot the civilians meaning they would not be able to shift the blame on an authority figure
What is a strength of LOA?
It can account for cultural differences in obedience
Why can LOA account for cultural differences?
In some cultures authority is more likely to be accepted as legitimate. This effects how different societies are structured and children are raised to perceive authority figures
What is the accountancy of cultural differences supported by?
Cross-cultural replications of Milgram’s studies which found differences in obedience (Australia 16% went to 450V Germany it was 85%) - increase external val
What is the alternative explanation?
Dispositional factors
