Obedience

Question 1

Outline Milgrams study on Obedience (6 marks)

Answer 1

Method: LAB experiment (Yale uni)
Sample: 40 American males
Procedure:

• advert seeking volunteers, paid 4.50
• PPT always ‘teacher’ Gave shocks
• Conf always learner
• If ‘teacher’/confederate refused prompts
  “please continue”, “you have no other choice, you must go on”

Findings:

• All ppt -> 300V
• 12.5% stopped,
• 65% -> 450V

Conclusion:

• ordinary people are obedient to authority when asked to behave in an inhumane way

Question 2

Evaluate Milgrams study into obedience

Answer 2

demand characteristics

• in LAB + ppt knew they were in an experiment
• May have changed natural behaviour
• EG give shocks believed this should be how they act rather than bc they are being obedient to auth fig
• also be true as ppts were paid
• lowering internal validity

RTS by Hoffling

• conducted on nurses, asked by unknown doctor to give a dangerous dose of a drug (astroten) via telephone.
• 21/22 agreed to give the medicine even though they knew not to give over the phone
• supports idea of being obedient to authority , strengthens Milgrams research as it has good Ext Val can be generalised to other settings.

Major ethical issues

• Lack of informed consent - took part in obedience test rather than punishment study
• Deception
• Lack of right to withdraw
• Weakens Ext validity

Question 3

Describe the Agentic state as an explanation for obedience (3 marks)

Answer 3

• Move from a state where they take personal responsibility ( autonomous state ) to a state where they are acting on behalf of an authority figure ( agentic state ).
• Known as agentic shift, lose personal responsibility and no longer feel guilty for their actions.
• more likely to obey

Question 4

Describe the legitimacy of authority figure as an explanation for obedience (3 marks)

Answer 4

• individuals accept the power and status of authority figures
• accept peoples credentials and believe they know what they are doing
• ingrained in us to obey these people; even when we believe the order may be unethical or unjust

Question 5

Evaluate explanations of obedience to authority

Answer 5

RTS Milgram

• most Milgram ppt resisted shocks at some point and often experimenter asked questions such as “who is responsible if the learner is harmed”
• experimenter responded “i am responsible”
• ppt often continued and gave shocks
• supports Ag St as ppt believed they were no longer responsible and obeyed

RTS by Hoffling

• nurses ordered to give dangerous dose of drug via phone
• 21/22 nurses agreed even though they knew not to
• Therefore supports LOA, bc Dr had more authority over nurses
• moreover could support AS as they may believe they acted on behalf of Dr

Alt explanation = dispositional factors (Auth personality)

• Obedience due to internal characteristics of the person
• EG: personality, having extreme respect for authority due to upbringing
• therefore suggests obedience may not just be AS and LOA
• weakens explanations of obedience not sole explanations

Question 6

Define obedience

Answer 6

• somebody acts in response to a direct order from a figure with perceived authority.

Question 7

authoritarian personality

Answer 7

Internal explanation - obedience is due to a person’s personality type

• They have extreme respect for authority and black and white thinking. They obey people ‘higher’ than them and direct anger at those ‘lower’ than them.
• This personality type is developed in childhood due to strict parenting and being shown little love.
• Adorno measured this personality type using the F Scale questionnaire
• People showing these characteristic obey more

Question 8

promiximity into a variable affecting obedience

Answer 8

• OG teacher couldnt see learner,only hear 65% obedience
• when same room 40% ; bc teacher cud directly see behaviour having unpleasent consequence
• when force of hand 30%
• when left room + done by telophone 20.5%
  suggests closer figure is to indiv more obedient theyll be

Question 9

location into a varaibale affecting obedience

Answer 9

• OG experiment done in Yale uni
• went to 48% when changed from Yale to run down seedy office
  bc less perceived legitimate authority of experimenter was reduced

Question 10

power of uniform into a variable affecting obedience

Answer 10

wearing uniform can give perception of added legit authority

• in OG wore a grey lab coat, which gave “air “of authority
• in one variation, at start experimenter w lab coat was taken away for phone call
• guy ‘ordinary member of public’ who wore everyday clothes took over dropped to 20%
• suggests uniform acts as strong visual cue + authorative symbol +when not in uniform legitimacy of authority was reduced