Obedience

Question 1

What is obedience

Answer 1

Responding as instructed to a direct order which was given by an authority figure/higher status figure

Question 2

Aim of Milgrams Study

Answer 2

Aim- interested in researching how far people would go to obey an instruction if it involved harming another person

Question 3

Procedure of study

Answer 3

• 40 males ranging from ages 20-50
• participants were told that the study measured how punishment affected learning (deception)
• participants were told that the ‘teacher’ was required to test their ability to remember word pairs, if they gave an incorrect answer, they would be shocked
• participants were deceived into thinking that they were administering dangerous electric shocks to people because an authority figure told them to

Question 4

Findings

Answer 4

-65% of participants continued all the way up until 450 V, even despite the fact the shock generator had the labels of ‘danger, severe’ etc

Question 5

Conclusion of study

Answer 5

• even ordinary people obey to an authority
• shows we are more likely to obey orders when we enter an AGENTIC STATE, this is when we believe we are acting on behalf of an authority figure, so we are no longer accountable for our actions

Question 6

Negative

Evaluation of study

Answer 6

-weakness, ethical issues and was socially sensitive

Question 7

Proximity

Answer 7

• people are more likely to harm another person when given an instruction to do so if they cannot see the other person
• Milgram found out that if a learner (confederate) and the teacher (participant) were in separate rooms, the teacher was more likely to obey

Question 8

Symbols of authority

Answer 8

-Milgram found out that the teacher was much more likely to shock the learner if the researcher wore a lab coat

Question 9

Status of the situation

Answer 9

Milgram study took place at a university, teacher was much more likely to shock learner than if study took place at an ordinary venue

Question 10

Culture

Answer 10

-Levels of obedience change between culture, eg, Japanese people have higher levels of conformity than Americans

Question 11

What is an autonomous state

Answer 11

They direct their actions and feel personality responsible for them

Question 12

Negative evaluation of study

Answer 12

Lacked realism-

Some of the participants could have thought it was faked

Caused psychological issues to participants

Deception