Key Studies and Vocabulary - SOCIAL

Question 1

Define authority figure/legitimate authority

Answer 1

a person who is perceived as being in charge, usually high in status, with the right to give instructions or orders in a given situation.

Question 2

Define Obedience

Answer 2

Following the instructions/orders given by a person perceived to be a legitimate authority figure.

Question 3

Define Dissent

Answer 3

Refusal to comply with a request or order from an authority figure (also called defiance, or disobedience)

Question 4

Define Sample/Participants

Answer 4

The group of people, sometimes called ‘subjects’, whose behaviour is being measured in the study

Question 5

Define Sampling Methods

Answer 5

how the sample have been recruited for the study

Question 6

Define Volunteer Sample

Answer 6

a sample of people who have volunteered to participate, usually in response to recruitment via advertising.

Question 7

Define Setting

Answer 7

Location of the study

Question 8

Define task

Answer 8

what the participants are required to do in the study, by the researchers.

Question 9

Define Naive participant

Answer 9

A participant who does not know about the aims of the study and/or other elements of the situation/task.

Question 10

Define confederates/Stooges

Answer 10

people who are ‘in on’ the experiment and are working with the researchers, unbeknownst to the participants

Question 11

Define Milgram’s (1963) Experiment

Answer 11

Milgram’s (1963) original study of destructive obedience, with a sample of male participants, showed that most ordinary people (65%) will follow orders to cause harm to another person, when that order is given by a person perceived to be a legitimate authority figure, in this case a scientist in a lab coat.

Question 12

What are three variations of Milgram’s study that you should know?

Answer 12

Run down Office Block (Experiment 10), Telephonic Instructions (Experiment 7) and Ordinary man gives instructions (Experiment 13)

Question 13

Define Experiment 7

Answer 13

Telephonic instructions (Experiment 7) - showed that the proximity of the authority figure affects the level of obedience, as when the experimenter left the room and gave instructions by telephone, fewer participants followed the instructions

Question 14

Define Experiment 10

Answer 14

Rundown Office Block (Experiment 10) - showed that the setting of the experiment was a factor that affected levels of obedience, as without the prestigious Yale university setting fewer participants followed the instructions

Question 15

Define Experiment 13

Answer 15

Ordinary man gives orders (Experiment 13)- showed that the appearance/clothing of the person giving the orders affects the level of obedience, as when the role of the experimenter was taken over by an ‘ordinary member of the public’ in a ‘sports jacket’, rather than a grey lab coat, fewer participants followed the instructions

Question 16

What research methods were used in Milgram’s studies of Obedience?

Answer 16

Lab studies, field studies/experiments, and Experiments

Question 17

Define situational factor

Answer 17

an aspect of the social/physical environment that may have an impact on behaviour. Something about the setting or other people

Question 18

Define dispositional factor

Answer 18

characteristic or feature of an individual that may have an impact on their thoughts, feelings and behaviour

Question 19

Define perceived legitimacy

Answer 19

the person is seen as having the authority to give the order, this may be indicated or suggested by their title, appearance such as smart dress or uniform, or name badge/staff lanyard, or the nature of their surroundings.

Question 20

Define proximity

Answer 20

How close something/someone is.

Question 21

Define social support

Answer 21

having other people with you - you are not alone with the authority figure, but have others with you to back you up.

Question 22

What evidence is important to note when considering situational factors affecting obedience and dissent/resistance to obedience?

Answer 22

Experiments 7, 10, 13, Bickmann (1974) and Hofling (1966)

Question 23

Define Experiment 7 in terms of situational factors affecting obedience and dissent

Answer 23

Proximity of Authority Figure
Telephonic instructions (Experiment 7) - showed that when the authority figure is further away people are less likely to be obedient.

Question 24

Define Experiment 10 in terms of situational factors affecting obedience and dissent

Answer 24

Cues of Legitimate authority: Setting

Rundown Office Block when Milgram’s experiment was relocated to a sparsely furnished office in a shabby area, obedience was lower, showing that the setting and context affected the perceived legitimacy of the researchers, and reduced the level of obedience.

Question 25

Define Experiment 13 in terms of situational factors affecting obedience and dissent

Answer 25

Cues of Legitimate Authority: Clothing/Appearance

Ordinary man gives orders - when the person giving orders was wearing ordinary clothes they were less likely to be obeyed than the experimenter wearing a lab coat, which suggests scientific/legitimate authority.

Bickman (1974) showed that people in real world situations are more likely to follow orders from someone wearing a guard/security uniform, than ordinary clothes or a milkman’s uniform

Question 26

Define Hofling (1966) in terms of situational factors affecting obedience and dissent

Answer 26

Cues of Legitimate Authority: Title/Status

Hofling (1966) showed that people (nurses) follow orders when they are given by someone who is perceived as an expert/medical authority, high in status, in this case a doctor.

Question 27

What research methods are used in situational factors affecting obedience and dissent/resistance to obedience?

Answer 27

Cross-cultural research
Replication

Opportunity Sampling - a sample is selected by using whoever is available at the time and place (and willing, unless naive) to participate in the study.

Question 28

Define gender differences

Answer 28

whether there is a difference in measured behaviour or traits, between men and women.

Question 29

Define cross-cultural psychology

Answer 29

looks at how cultural factors influence human behavior, by studying and comparing the behaviour of people from different cultures. While many aspects of human thought and behavior are universal, cultural differences can lead to differences in how people think, feel, and act, including obedience

Question 30

define individualistic cultures

Answer 30

stress the needs of the individual over the needs of the group as a whole. People are seen as independent and autonomous. Social behavior tends to be dictated by the attitudes and preferences of individuals. Cultures in North America and Western Europe tend to be individualistic

Question 31

define collectivist cultures

Answer 31

emphasize the needs and goals of the group as a whole over the needs and desires of each individual.

Question 32

What studies are important when considering gender?

Answer 32

Kilham and Mann (1974), Burger (2009), Blass (1991) and Experiment 8

Question 33

What’s the importance with Kilham and Mann (1974) in gender?

Answer 33

One Australian study by Kilham and Mann (1974) found that female participants were more likely to defy orders, but their procedure was different from Milgram’s.

Question 34

What’s the importance of Burger (2009) in gender?

Answer 34

Burger (2009) replicated Milgram’s study. He found a small gender difference but it was not statistically significant

Question 35

What’s the importance of Blass (1991) in gender?

Answer 35

Blass (1991) conducted a meta-analysis of 9 studies which showed that gender is not a factor in obedience.

Question 36

What’s the importance of Experiment 8 in gender?

Answer 36

In Milgram’s Experiment 8, with a sample of 40 women, the obedience rate was 65%, the same as the male participants in the original study. This showed that there was no gender difference in obedience.

Question 37

What are importance studies to consider in culture?

Answer 37

Blass (2012), Shanab and Yahya (1977), Kilham and Mann (1974), Schurz (1985), Mantell and Panzerella (1976), Meeus and Rajimaker (1986)

Question 38

Why is Blass (2012) important to considering culture?

Answer 38

Blass (2012) compared the average obedience rates in studies conducted outside North America and found them significantly not different outside the US 66 % and in the US 61 %.

Question 39

What research methods are used when considering gender and culture?

Answer 39

Meta-analysis
Cross-cultural research

Replication
Partial-replication

Question 40

Why is Meeus and Rajimaker (1986) important?

Answer 40

Meeus and Rajimaker (1986) used a less extreme punishment (although still upsetting) in their replication as it is not possible to fully replicate Milgram’s study due to ethical concerns.

Question 41

Why is Shanab and Yahya (1977) important to culture?

Answer 41

Shanab and Yahya (1977) had a female experimenter who asked 6-16 year olds in Jordan to give shocks to each other. 73% gave shocks to their same gender peers. The conclusion was that children are obedient (although there may be some cultural differences between Jordan and the USA).

Question 42

Why is Kilham and Mann (1974) important to culture?

Answer 42

Kilham and Mann (1974) asked first year psychology students (Australian) to order pain to be given, and to give pain. When ordering, 68% male and 40% female obedience when administering the pain and 40% male and 16% female obedience. However, at the time, they talked about a ‘decade of campus unrest’ and anti war demonstrations → they felt like local circumstances affected their obedience levels. This could be seen as iti is not only the situation of a study causing obedience but also the situation at the time for the people of the particular place in which the study took place.

Question 43

Why is Schurz (1985) important to culture?

Answer 43

Schurz (1985) found a 80% baseline obedience in Austria. He asked participants to give ‘painful and skin bursting’ ultrasounds instead of electric shocks

Question 44

Why is Mantell and Panzerellaa (1976) important to culture?

Answer 44

Mantell and Panzerellaa (1976) found 85% obedience in Germany. They used a control group (unlike Milgram 1963) and found that if the participants could choose the shock level, none would obey until the end.