factors affecting disobedience Flashcards
individual differences,situational variables,culture,personality,gender
3 aspects of personality that cause individual differences
locus of control, authoritarianism, empathy
How does locus of control affect obedience?
Rotter (1966) describes it as extent people feel they are in control of their own situation and lives. External- behaviour is beyond their control, Internal- they are responsible for their own actions. eg in Milgrams research many obeyed as they felt experimenter held responsibility. This area is mixed with only tentative evidence that those of internal locus of control resiist and those with external obey
How does authoritarianism affect obedience?
Personality trait by hostility to people of a different race, social group, age, sexuality, or other minority. Submissive to authority, harsh to those seen as subordinate to themselves. Theodor Adorno created f-scale to measure authoritarianism
Evidence supporting authoritarian personalities are linked to obedience
Milgram and Elms 1966- compared f-scale scores for 20 obedient and defiant. Obedient has higher F-scale score and defiant showed more social responsibility.
Dambrun and Vatine 2010- simulation of Milgram’s experiment using computer simulation and found high authoritarian scores meant more likely to be obedient
How does empathy affect obedience?
High levels of empathy should have high levels of obedience-Burger investigated and found people who score high on empathy were likely to protest against giving the electric shock but this didn’t translate to lower levels of obedience
How is gender a source of individual difference in obedience?
Overall no difference, difference in emotional responses with females reporting more tension than males. Milgram conducted a variation for 40 female teachers and obedience rate virtually identical at 27% breaking off at 300v, but anxiety was much higher for males. This was also found in Burgers study . Similarly, Blass 1991 found obedience consistent between M&F across 9/10 studies in their meta-analysis
What did Kilham & Mann 1974 find? (to do with gender differences)
Replicated Milgrams study in Australia found woman were less obedient 16% than men 40%. This may of been because male teachers were paired with male learner and female teacher with female learners. Female teachers may of felt solidarity with female learner and more inclined to disobey male experimenter
Situational variables that affect obedience
-Momentum of compliance
-Proximity
-Status of authority figure
-Personal responsibility
How does momentum of compliance affect obedience?
Experimenter starts off by asking small and trivial requests to not cause anxiety, these initial requests commit ppt to experiment so they feel duty-bound to continue eg Voltage on shock machine gradually increases by 15v
How does proximity affect obedience?
Closer the authority figure higher level of obedience. Closer victim lower level of obedience. e.g. learner if learner was in the same room as teacher ,or if teacher had to physically place the hand of the learner to shock obedience drops. Learner in a different room + not seen or heard obedience rose to 100%. Milgram refers to proximity of the victim as a buffer as it reduces obedience.
How does status of authority figure affect obedience?
Strongest when authority figure was seen as legitimate. eg increased obedience when conducted at Yale and decreased at office block where instructions were given by an ordinary man not a high status researcher
How does personal responsibility affect obedience?
Strongest when they felt someone else was responsible for harming the learner. Variation where they had to sign a contract stating they were taking part of their own will and Yale was not responsible for any legal consequences obedience fell to 40%
What is culture?
Incorporates values, ideas, customs, and behavioural norms of a particular group, people, society.
Individualistic culture- Eg Britain and America tend to behave independently, resisting conformity and compliance with their culture. Emphasis individualism.
Collectivist culture- importance of whole group as a collective eg China. Tend to behave as a collect group based on interdependence meaning co-operation and compliance is important for the stability of the group
What did Ancona and Pareyson 1986 find? (culture)
Replicated Milgrams study in Italy with just students and max voltage of 330. Found obedience rate of 80%
What did Slater 2006 find? (culture)
virtual reality replication of Milgrams with shocks given to computer generated avatar - similar results to Milgram of 73.9% and skin conductivity and heart rate indicated stress and done in the UK
What did Meeus and Raaijmakers 1986 find? (culture)
In Netherlands, whether people would obey orders to psychologically abuse job interviewee. 92% obedience
What did Schurz 1985 find? (culture)
Conducted Milgram’s study in Austria ppts were told to give bursts of ultrasound which they were told were painful and 80% obedience
What did Blass 1991 find? (culture)
Reviewed studies done in US and elsewhere average US 60.9% and 65% elsewhere. Similar to Milgram’s results and similar cross-culturally- across cultures this is a universal behaviour
Issue and Debate- Dev psych- Gender and culture?
Dev psych- predict women be more compliant according to gender role schemas, they have been socialised to be quiet. Also predict we are shaped by culture we grow up in eg growing up in an individualistic culture where independence is valued= less obedience
