Factors affecting obedience

Question 1

Define ‘dispositional factors’.

Answer 1

Facts about you which remain true all the time, even though your situation may change (eg. cultural beliefs, age, gender, personality)

Question 2

What are the 3 dispositional factors affecting obedience and dissent?

Answer 2

Gender: Male V Female

Personality: Fascist V Non- fascist

Cultural Differences: Individualistic V Collectivist societies

Question 3

How does gender affect obedience? (2 points)

Answer 3

Society has developed a sense of gender identity (masculinity and femininity) through socialisation

Gender stereotypes affect how we perceive ourselves and others - women perceived to be more obedient

Question 4

How does personality affect obedience? (3 points)

Answer 4

External locus of control: believing your behaviour is outside your control
More likely to be obedient

Internal locus of control: attributing your behaviour to your own actions
Less likely to be obedient

High desire for control has been related to lower levels of obedience - people want to be in charge of their own decisions

Question 5

Define ‘authoritarian personality’.

Answer 5

A state of mind characterised by belief in absolute obedience or submission to someone else’s authority

Question 6

What do individualistic cultures value? (4 points)

Answer 6

Independence
Autonomy
Uniqueness
Fulfilling one’s own goals

Question 7

What do collectivist cultures value? (3 points)

Answer 7

Interdependence
Conformity
Identifying as part of a group

Question 8

What are the 2 supporting studies and 1 refuting study that supports gender affecting obedience?

Answer 8

Supporting:
Sheridan & King (1972)
Kilham & Mann (1974)

Refuting:
Burger (2009)

Question 9

What are the supporting and refuting pieces of evidence for personality and culture impacting obedience?

Answer 9

Personality
Supporting: Elms and Milgram (1966)
Refuting: Burger (2009)

Culture
Supporting: Shanab & Yahya (1977)
Refuting: Cultures’ definition of obedience

Question 10

How does Sheridan & King (1972) support gender affecting obedience? (3 points)

Answer 10

They conducted an adaptation of Milgram’s original study with a puppy carrying out a learning exercise

The puppy received a real electric shock - small enough to make it jump and show obvious signs of distress

Percentage who went to the highest level of shock:
Males: 54%
Females: 100%

Question 11

How does Kilham & Mann (1974) support gender affecting obedience? (2 points)

Answer 11

Replicated Milgram’s study to test gender differences in obedience among Australian students

Males: 40%
Females: 16%

Question 12

How does Burger (2009) refute gender impacting obedience? (2 points)

Answer 12

Found gender differences are minimal

Supports Milgram’s original research that gender is less of a factor in obedience than others

Question 13

How does Elms and Milgram (1966) support personality affecting obedience? (3 points)

Answer 13

Conducted a follow-up study using Adorno’s (1950) F scale

Sampled 20 obedient participants, who administered the full 450 volts and 20 disobedient participants, who refused to continue

Findings showed that the fully obedient participants scored higher on the F-Scale, demonstrating greater authoritative personality traits

Question 14

How does Burger (2009) refute personality affecting obedience? (2 points)

Answer 14

Those scoring high on the empathy scale were more likely to protest against giving electric shocks

However, they still didn’t have lower levels of obedience

Question 15

How does Shanab and Yahya (1977) support culture affecting obedience? (2 points)

Answer 15

Replicated Milgram’s study with children in collectivist Middle Eastern society

Results showed obedience rates were higher (73%) in collectivist Jordan compared to individualistic USA (65%)

Question 16

How do cultures’ definition of obedience refute personality affecting obedience? (3 points)

Answer 16

Milgram’s study has been only replicated in a non-Western country (Jordan) twice

Must be sensitive to the potentially different meanings of blind obedience in different cultures

E.g. likely that obedience rates are higher in countries where power distance is high (Hofstede, 1991)