obedience Flashcards
What is meant by obedience?
when we follow orders from others who we perceive as having more power than us
Outline the procedure of Milgram’s study
-volunteer sample of 40 American male students
-payed $4.50 to participate
set up at yale university
-asked the ppts to draw straws to assign them to a teacher or learner role (the real ppts were always the teachers, learner was confederate)
-split but a screen
-teacher asked a series of questions to learner, had to shock learner every time answer was wrong
-voltage increased with each wrong answer
What were Milgram’s findings?
-62% of participants were willing to administer a lethal shock when instructed too by a legitimate authority figure
-all ppts went up to 300 volts
-5% stopped at the first sign of learners pain
Criticisms and defence- internal validity
(Milgram)
- Orne and Holland; argued participants knew the true aims and Milgram was measuring the demand characteristics and not obedience
-Defence; video shows clearly distressed participants.
Many reported they did not know it was real
Criticisms and defence- gender bias
(Milgram)
-Origianal study only included men
-Kilham and Mann; women are more likely to shock men than other women
-Implies they take social considerations into account
-Defence; Milgram did a version involving women
-Found similar levels of conformity
Criticisms and defence- external validity
(Milgram)
-task of potentially ‘killing’ someone is not applicable to every day life
-Every day obedience is not being measured
-Defence; Hoffling found that 21 out of 22 nurses were willing to administer a life threatening amount of a drug- Milgram’s situation is not that unique
What are the main ethical issues in Milgram’s study?
-protection from harm
-deceit
-informed consent
-right to withdraw
What is meant by the agentic state/shift?
A psychological process of shifting responsibility onto someone else. An individual moves from an autonomous state in which they see themselves as being responsible for their actions, to an agentic state in which a person sees themself as having no personal responsibility. They are kept in this state by binding factors.
What is meant by legitimate authority?
Society is structured in a hierarchical way in order to keep social conduct. Most people accept that certain positions hold authority/power over the rest of us. Legitimate authority is authority which we perceive as being fair and correct. These authority figures have to be allowed to exercise social power.
What is a strength of the agentic state explanation? (evaluation point)
The agentic state explanation is supported by research. Milgram found that participants were more willing to administer a shock when the experimenter told them that he would take responsibility if anything happens. They were kept in the agentic state by binding factors e.g: they already thought they had gone too far
What is a strength of legitimate authority as an explanation for conformity? (evaluation point)
It is supported by research. Milgram found that obedience rates were lower when the experimenter was dressed in casual clothing, compared to when he was in a white lab coat. This suggests that the reduction of legitimacy in term reduced obedience
What are the weaknesses of explanations for obedience?
-Tend to be deterministic
-Ignores gender differences
-Ignores cultural differences
-Practical implications for legal systems
What is meant by proximity?(situational factors)
Proximity refers to how physically close an authority figure is to an individual who is expected to obey. The closer in proximity they are, the ore likely they are to obey. This links t the agent if stated explanation for obedience.
What is meant by location? (situational factors)
Location refers to the setting in which obedience is commanded. The more prestigious the location, the higher the obedience rate are. This links o the explanation of legitimacy of authority.
How can uniform affect obedience rates?
Uniform is easily recognisable and they convey power . People obey those in uniform as their authority seems legitimate. This links to the legitimate authority expiation .
