hofling et al 1966

Question 1

procedure

Answer 1

• hofling staged a study in a hospital setting. a confederate doctor telephoned a nurse working on a ward late at night, asking her to administer twice the daily dose of a drug to a patient.
• against hospital policy, the doctor informed the nurse they would sign the prescription later.

Question 2

results

Answer 2

• 21 out of 22 nurses followed the doctors order and attempted to give the medication.
• several justified their behaviour as being a result of the hierarchy of authority at hospital.

Question 3

conclusion

Answer 3

• they concluded that ordinary nurses will obey instructions against hospital policy to a doctor over the phone.

Question 4

how does this relate to milgrams research?

Answer 4

• the study showed that ordinary people are obedient to authority even if it goes against their senses of right/ wrong.
• it may be seen as more useful than milgram as they showed how high levels of obedience can occur with real life settings ( high ecological validity)