obedience: milgrams study and variables Flashcards
define obedience
•form of social influence
• individual follows direct order from perceived authority figure
• implication that the person would not respond in this way without the order
outline Milgram’s research into obedience
aim
procedure
findings
conclusions
aim- investigate power of authority & if people would obey demands even if morally wrong
procedure- experimenter, teacher and learner
teacher gives learner fake shots if answer was wrong
(learner always confederate)
findings- all obeyed and gave shocks up to 300volts
12.5% stopped at 300v
65% continued all way to 450v
conclusions- ordinary people will obey authority even when they know what they’re doing is wrong
not just evil people will commit evil crimes
what 3 variables did Milgram investigate
proximity
location
uniform
describe milgrams investigation into PROXIMITY
proximity - reduced the proximity by giving the instructions via phone call in a different room
obedience rates dropped to 20.5 from 65
this influenced obedience as in the first experiment participants were in the AGENTIC state so felt experimenter would take the responsibility
in the variation they were in the AUTONOMOUS state so felt responsible therefore less likely to obey
describe milgrams investigation into LOCATION
location- different, was in a run down office block
obedience rates dropped to 48 from 65
this influenced obedience as original place added legitimacy of the authority figure giving the order
location gave them confidence in the integrity of the people involved
did not value the experiment so less people obey
describe investigation into UNIFORM by bickman
was a security guard then normal clothed
passers were given 1 of 3 orders
pick up paper bag,lend money to a stranger for a parking meter or stand at another place at a bus stop
obedience rates = security guard 82% obeyed
normal clothes 36% obeyed
this influenced obedience as uniforms are easily recognisable and conveys power and authority
offer a sense of legitimacy to those who wear them
EVAL - control of variables
:)
make a direct comparison between levels of obedience in the two variations studied
e.g location- when comparing obedience in two locations, all other variables were standardised
so we can conclude with some certainty that the drop in obedience was due to change in location
EVAL - internal validity :(
criticised as participants were accused of just going along with it to please the experimenter
questions internal validity because he is measuring how participants play along rather than measuring the effects of situational variables on obedience directly
EVAL - external validity :(
low external- both population and ecological
eco - highly controlled lab experiments not possible to generalise these findings to real life
pop - male volunteers not representative of the whole population differences between how females respond to authority and how males respond
EVAL - research support - Hofling :)
suggests that obedience is observable in settings other than labs
nurses told over phone to give higher dose of dangerous drug to a patient
95% of nurses obeyed
however in more natural setting only 11% obeyed
EVAL - reliability :)
repeated numerous times
new game show asked to give shocks in front of audience
80% did MAX shocks 380v
showed same behaviours as those in milgrams study - nail biting and anxiety
not a one off occurrence - study has good reliability
