Lesson 8-13 Flashcards
What are two explanations for obedience?
The agentic state and legitimacy of authority
What is the agentic state theory?
An agent is defines as someone who acts in the place for someone else.
Autonomic state- when acting independently, people are aware of consequences of their actions and make decisions knowing that they are held accountable
Agentic state- person follows a direct order so sees the self as under the authority of another and not responsible, carry without question
Evaluation of the agentic state theory. 1 GOOD, 1 BAD
G- has research support. Got students to watch a video of milgrams experiment and asked who was responsible for harming Mr Wallace. Identified experimenter was scientist (top of hierarchy this has authority)
B- theory doesn’t explain why 35% of pp in milgrams study didn’t go to 450V and 1 nurse in hofflings study
What is legimacy of authority.
Most societies strutted in hierarchical way.
From early childhood, we are socialised to obey certain legitimate authority figures because we trust them or fear punishment
One consequence is some people given the power to punish other which may use for destructive purposes
Evaluation of legitimacy of authority. 2 GOOD, 1 BAD
G- we need legitimate authority figures in a well-functioning ordered society (e.g. police)
G- it explains cultural differences in obedience (Australia-16%, Germany-85%)
B- not all legitimate authority figures should be obeyed (Harold shipman- abused power). So balance must be struck between teaching children to obey authority but also question them i case they are destructive
What is the authoritarian personality?
Disposable explanation for obedience that suggests that they are likely to obey authority figures. They are: hostile towards other of lower status, conventional and conformist
Thought they developed these personalities due to receiving extremely harsh upbringing (physical)
F-scale
Evaluation of the authoritarian personality. 1 GOOD, 2 BAD
G- those who scored high on f-scale were more likely to obey order to hold electric wire whilst doing a test, even though it may cause harm to them
B- limited explanation: doesn’t explain why majority of Germany is v obedient
B- methodological questions
What are the two reasons for resistance to social influence.
Social support and locus of control
What is social support?
People resist the pressure to conform or obey because they have an ally- someone supporting their view
Builds confidence, no longer fear of ridiculed
Conformity: thick glasses in asch-like study
Obedience: manager getting sacked
Evaluation of social support. 2 GOOD, 1 BAD
G- research support (asch and milgram)
G- can be applied to real life content (Gamsons study has high ecological validity)
B- strong explanation for groups size under 10
What is locus of control?
Refers to a persons perception of the degree of personal control they have over their behaviour
High external LOC and internal LOC
Evaluation of LOC. 1GOOD, 2 BAD
G- research support. 406 who helped Jews and 126 who didn’t
B- Twenge analysed data over a 40 year period of American obedience. Found that people becoming more resistant to obedience but also more external (challenges link)
B- Questionnaire to measure LOC too vague and lacks temporal validity
What is minority influence?
Is a type of social influence that motivates individuals to reject established majority group norms
Achieved through conversion: new belief being accepted both publicly and privately (internalisation)
What is consistency?
Minority influence will be persuasive if minority shows confidence in beliefs and appears unbiased, makes others reassess the situation p.
Moscovici, 172 females, 6 group, 24/36 consistent (1%), 36/36 consistent (8%)
What is commitment?
Suggests certainty, confidence and courage amongst a hostile majority.
Augmentation principle
10% tipping point- number of people holding minority
