Lesson 6: Situational Variables Affecting obedience Flashcards
Why did Milgram conduct several variations of his original study?
He wanted to determine which variables lead to high levels of OBEDIENCE and which reduce obedience
What situational variables did he test?
(Hint: PUL)
Proximity
Uniform
Location
What happened during the PROXIMITY variation of Milgram’s study
Both the teacher and learner were seated in the same room
Obedience levels fell to 40% as participants were able to visibly observe Mr. Wallace’s anguish directly
What happened in the more extreme variation known as “touch proximity variation” of Milgram’s study
`The teacher has to actually force the learner’s arm down onto a metal plate to administer the shocks
Obedience rate = 30%
Why is the proximity of the experimenter also important?
In the absent experimenter variation-> experimenter left the room after giving his instructions an gave SUBSEQUENT orders by the telephone
-The vast majority of participants missed out shocks or gave LOWER voltages than they were meant to.
Obedience= 21 %
What happened in the alternative LOCATION variation of Milgram’s study
-experiment was carried out in a RUNDOWN office in Bridgeport Connecticut by an experimenter wearing casual clothes.
Obedience rate= 48%
What did the participants report about the locations of the study
(Yale + rundown office)
Participants reported that the location of Yale university gave them confidence in the INTEGRITY of the experimenter.
WHEREAS
The lower status of the run down office changed participants’ perception of the legitimacy of the AUTHORITY of the experimeneter
Why does uniform have a powerful impact on obedience?
Uniforms= VISIBLE symbol of authority
Uniforms can show someone has power or status (e.g police uniform) on other occasions they show someone does NOT have power or status (e.g prisoners uniform)
Who further researched into the affect uniform has on obedience?
Bickman (1974)
What did Bickman ask confederates to say to civillians on the street?
to pick some litter up or move away from a bus stop
What were the confederates dressed up as?
either GUARD
MILKMAN
SMART CLOTHES
How many people obeyed the confederates dressed as a guard?
90%
How many people obeyed the confederates dressed as a milkman or just in smart clothes?
50
