Milgram and Adorno Experiment

Question 1

What is obedience?

Answer 1

Behaviour in compliance with a direct command, often one used by a person in a position of authority

Question 2

What was milgrams experiment (1963)

Answer 2

Forty males were given the role of teacher, and a confederate was given the role of learner. Another confederate dressed as a professor instructed the participant to give electric shocks to the learner when answering a question incorrectly. These shocks increased in intensity.

If participant resisted the proffesor would encourage then to continue

Question 3

What were Milgrams findings?

Answer 3

100% of participants shocked up to 300 volts

65% of participants continued all the way to 450 volts

Question 4

What does Milgrams research suggest?

Answer 4

The majority of people will follow the orders of an authority figure, even if that order will lead to harm

Question 5

Define the Agentic state as an explanation for obedience

Answer 5

Dtate of mind in which the individual believes they dont have responsibility for their behaviour as they are the agent of an authority figure.
This allows the individuals to commut acts they personally and morally oppose

Question 6

What is the autonomous state?

Answer 6

When individuals act according to their principles and feel responsible for their actions.

The opposite of an agentic state

Question 7

What is an agentic shift?

Answer 7

The movement from an autonomous state to an agentic state happens in the presence of an authority figure

Question 8

What is an agentic shift?

Answer 8

The movement from an autonomous state to an agentic state happens in the presence of an authority figure

Question 9

Define Legitimacy of Authority as an explanation for obedience

Answer 9

Individuals accept that others higher up the social hierarchy should be obeyed.These people have the right to punish others like the police

It can be communicated through uniforms or certain settings such as police stations or courts

Question 10

What were the 3 variables Milgram changed in his follow up experiments

Answer 10

Proximity
Location
Uniform

Question 11

Outline the method and findings of Milgrams proximity replication study

Answer 11

The distance between the authority figure and the participant was increased (the authority provided instructions via telephone)
Obedience rates dropped to 21%

Question 12

Outline the method and findings of Milgrams location replication study

Answer 12

When repeated at an office block in a run down area, obedience reduced to 47.5% due to a lack of Legitimacy of Authority

Question 13

Outline the methods and findings of Milgrams uniform replication study

Answer 13

A professor in a lab coat id replaced with a confederate in regular clothes. Obedience dropped to 20% due to a lack of Legitimacy of Authority

Question 14

What were the strengths of Milgrams experiment?

Answer 14

The use of standardised procedures led to a high level of control and enabled replications

Question 15

What were the weaknesses if Milgrams experiment?

Answer 15

Lacks mundane realism
Lacks exological validity
This could cause demand characteristics
Gender bias (only used males)
Unethical

Question 16

How does Bickmans (1974) research support Legitimacy of Authority?

Answer 16

Bickman demonstrated Legitimacy of Authority using a field study
39% of the public would puck up litter if asked by a person dressed as a security guard
But only 14% if the person was dressed as a milkman

Question 17

How does Hoflings (1966) research support Milgram?

Answer 17

21 out of 22 nurses obeyed “Dr Smiths” phone call order to give double the maximum dose of an unfamiliar drug
This was a field study with a familiar task so high ecological validity and mundane realism

Question 18

What was Adornos explanation of obedience?

Answer 18

He argued high levels of obedience were due to dispositional factors.
High level of obedience was due to an authoritarian personality.

Question 19

How did Adorno study the authoritarian personality?

Answer 19

He used questionnaires
Question revealed unconventional feeling towards minority groups. He developed the F scale (F for fascism)

Question 20

What did it mean if someone scored high on the F scale?

Answer 20

The individual shows high respect for people with a higher social status, have fixed stereotypes for other groups.
They identified with strong people and disliked weak people

Question 21

Explain why individuals develop an authoritarian personality

Answer 21

Adorno suggested that these people had their personalities shaped early in life by strict authoritative parenting with harsh physical punishment.
Anger from this experience was displaced (Freud) onto others

Question 22

What was one issue with the F scale questionnaire?

Answer 22

It lacked internal validity. All the questions were written in one direction meaning that agreeing to all questions will label someone as authoritarian. This is known as response bias