➀ 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 Obedience

Question 1

What is Social Psychology?

Answer 1

Investigating human behaviour involving relationships with others, groups, society and cultural influence.

Question 2

What are the 4 key assumptions of Social Psychology?

Answer 2

Other people can affect behaviour, thought processes and emotions.
The social situation can affect behaviour, thought processes and emotions.
Roles played in society impact behaviour.
The groups we belong to impact behaviour, respond differently to people of different groups & tend to favour those belonging to our own groups.

Question 3

Define autonomy.

Answer 3

Acting on one’s own free will.

Question 4

Define agency.

Answer 4

When one acts as an agent for others.

Question 5

Define moral strain.

Answer 5

Experiencing anxiety as a result of being asked to do something against your moral code.

Question 6

Define socialisation.

Answer 6

The process of learning the norms of society through socialising agents.

Question 7

What is the aim of Milgram(1963)’s study?

Answer 7

To investigate whether volunteer participants would be obedient to inhumane orders, similarly to Germans in WW2.

Question 8

What was the sample of Milgram’s(1963) study?

Answer 8

A volunteer sample of 40 men.

Question 9

What was the procedure of Milgram’s(1963) study?

Answer 9

A laboratory experiment at Yale University where there was a rigged draw, the learner was a confederate and the participant was the teacher.
In a fake setup, the teacher(participant), was instructed by an authority figure(experimenter) to punish the learner(confederate) by electric shocks for incorrect responses on a memory test.
The shocks started at 15 volts (labelled ‘slight shock’), increasing in 15V increments up to 450V(labelled XXX) - a fatal shock.

Question 10

What were learner’s pre-set responses in Milgram’s(1963) study?

Answer 10

300V: Learner protests by pounding on the wall.
315V: Pounded wall again.
315V+: Silent.

Question 11

What were the 4 prods used by Milgram(1963)?

Answer 11

Prod 1: Please continue.
Prod 2: The experiment requires that you continue.
Prod 3: It is absolutely essential that you continue.
Prod 4: You have no choice, you must go on.

Question 12

What were the results of Milgram’s(1963) study?

Answer 12

100% obeyed to 300V
65% obeyed to 450V
Many participants displayed signs of distress - laughing & twitching nervously.

Question 13

What were the conclusions of Milgram’s(1963) study?

Answer 13

Demonstrated that social influence is strong - people obey orders despite causing personal distress.
The levels of obedience shown were unexpected - in pilot study students and colleagues believed only 2-3% would continue to 450V.

Question 14

Milgram(1963): Generalisability.

Answer 14

Not representative, sample was ethnocentric and androcentric. Can only generalise to American males.
E: Used 40 male participants from Connecticut.
Self-selected sample was used, may be different from rest of population.

Question 15

Milgram(1963): Reliability.

Answer 15

High reliability, setting was controlled.
E: Same confederate used for all participants.
Experimenter gave same instructions.
Same standardised prods used (e.g. please continue)
Tape recording used for learner responses - always the same.
Research is replicable.

Question 16

Milgram(1963): Applications.

Answer 16

Shows influence of social situation on obedience.
Understand previous events e.g. Nazi Soldiers.
Awareness of tendency to obey authority figures.
Ensure system where authority cannot abuse power.
Teach people to challenge inappropriate authority.
Good for social control.

Question 17

Milgram(1963): Validity.

Answer 17

Low, lacks mundane realism.
Laboratory experiment, artificial environment and artificial task - administering electric shocks.
BUT
Only 2.4% claimed they didn’t believe learner was receiving shocks.

Question 18

Milgram(1963): Ethics.

Answer 18

No right to withdraw.
Deception - believed learner was in immense pain. Told experiment was to test learning and memory.
Protection of participants - Psychological harm, participants displayed signs of distress.
BUT
Debriefing - fully given, psychometric tests & follow up counselling.

Question 19

APRC; Milgram’s Variation 7: Telephonic Instructions.

Answer 19

Aim: If proximity of experimenter affected obedience.
Procedure: Initially give instructions face to face, then over phone in another room.
Results: Only 22.5% continued to 450V compared to 65% in original. Some lied about giving shocks or lowered shocks.
Conclusions: Lack of presence of authority figure decreased obedience.

Question 20

APRC; Milgram’s Variation 10: Rundown Office Block

Answer 20

Aim: If setting of experiment impacted obedience.
Procedure: Ran experiment in rundown office building rather than Yale University - said to be run by private company.
Results: 47.5% gave maximum voltage compared to 65% in original.
Conclusions: Less reputable settings reduce legitimacy of study, decreasing obedience. Some Ps questioned credentials.

Question 21

APRC; Milgram’s Variation 13: Ordinary Man Gives Order

Answer 21

Aim: If authority & status of experimenter affected obedience.
Procedure: 2 confederates - learner & recorder. Recorder encouraged teacher to increase shock levels when experimenter left room.
Results: 20% continued to 450V compared to 65% in original.
Conclusions: Authority level/status impacts obedience.

Question 22

What is agency theory composed of?

Answer 22

Autonomous state & agentic state.

Question 23

What is the autonomous state in agency theory?

Answer 23

An individual believes they have power, choose own behaviour, take control of actions. Guided by their moral code.

Question 24

What is the agentic state in agency theory?

Answer 24

Allowing another person to direct behaviour. Assume that individual is responsible for consequences of their behaviour. May go against moral code - give up free will to serve societal needs.

Question 25

How does Milgram explain the agentic state through evolution?

Answer 25

A survival strategy - following orders and fighting as a group in the agentic state increases chance of surviving as a group rather than running away in autonomous state.

Question 26

How is moral strain reduced?

Answer 26

By shifting into agentic state and displacing responsibility onto authority figure, or dissenting.

Question 27

Evidence for Agency Theory.

Answer 27

Milgram(1963) showed evidence for moral strain when participants were distressed by

Question 28

Evidence for Agency Theory.

Answer 28

Milgram(1963) showed evidence for moral strain when participants were distressed by harming an innocent person when following orders.
Participants reported their behaviour was responsibility of experimenter and they hadn’t wanted to shock learner(evidence for displacement).
Hofling et al(1966) demonstrated nurses follow doctor’s orders when asked to give twice the daily dose of a drug. Majority of nurses displaced responsibility.