Obedience

Question 1

Obedience

Answer 1

-changing ones behavior in response to a demand from an authority

Question 2

Milligram’s Obedience Study

Answer 2

• recruited adult meant to participate
• created appearance that participants were randomly assigned to be teacher in a learning experiment
• other person assigned to learner
• leaders was strapped into chair with electrodes attached

Question 3

Milgram’s Results

Answer 3

• some participants stopped the experiment when the confederate said to quit
• about 65% continued
• administered the “XXX” shock
• confederate was telling and begging for mercy by the end
• disturbing result: authority overwhelms common sense and decency

Question 4

Factors Affecting Obedience: Experimenter Status

Answer 4

• expert social power
• legitimate social power
• move outside University setting and bedizen drops sharply

Question 5

Factors Affecting Obedience: Behavior of Other People

Answer 5

-if others quit, participants is much more likely to as well

Question 6

Factors Affecting Obedience: Personality

Answer 6

• some aspects of personality may be related to obedience
• authoritarianism: designated agent of the culture
• often a challenge to stand against authority

Question 7

Social Roles

Answer 7

• the effects of others can depend heavily on the context

- people unwittingly adopt social roles which strongly affect behavior

Question 8

Stanford Prison Experiment

Answer 8

• Phil Zimbardo
• recruited undergraduates to be guards and prisoners
• randomly assigned
• both prisoners and guards quickly became immersed in their roles
• guards showed cruel, even sadistic behavior
• prisoners showed serious signs of stress

Question 9

Summary of Obedient Studies

Answer 9

• Zimbardo’s study shows that cruel behavior can be accidentally created from social circumstances as the participates stepped into their social role
• Milgram’s work suggest that resisting author is surprisingly difficult even in situations where moral chose seems clear