Obedience- Situational explanations

Question 1

What is the agentic state?

Answer 1

A mental state, in which we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe we are acting for an authority figure

Question 2

What is an agent?

Answer 2

Someone who acts for or in place of another

Question 3

What is moral strain?

Answer 3

When people realise what they are doing is wrong, but feel powerless to disobey

Question 4

What is the autonomous state?

Answer 4

A mental state, in which we are free to behave according to our own principles, and feel a sense of responsibility for our actions

Question 5

What is an agentic shift?

Answer 5

The shift from autonomy to agency

Question 6

When does an agentic shift occur?

Answer 6

Milgram- occurs when a person perceives someone else as an authority figure

Question 7

What is legitimacy of authority?

Answer 7

Obedience explanation, which suggests we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us

Question 8

What are binding factors?

Answer 8

Aspects of the situation that allow the person to ignore or minimise the damaging effects of their behaviour, reduce moral strain

Question 9

What is a hierarchial society?

Answer 9

People in certain positions within society hold authority over the rest of us

Question 10

What do we collectively accept about authority figures?

Answer 10

We accept that they are allowed to exercise social power over others because this allows society to function smoothly

Question 11

What is destructive authority?

Answer 11

When people use their legitimate powers for destructive purposes- ordering people to behave in ways that are cruel and dangerous

Question 12

What evidence is there that destructive authority is present in Milgram’s study?

Answer 12

The experimenter used prods to order participants to behave in ways that went against their conscience

Question 13

What are the strengths of the agentic state explanation?

Answer 13

• Research support- Milgram

Question 14

What are the limitations of the agentic state explanation?

Answer 14

• Limited explanation (Rank and Jacobson)

Question 15

What are the strengths of the legitimacy explanation?

Answer 15

• Explains cultural differences

Question 16

What are the limitations of the legitimacy explanation?

Answer 16

• Cannot explain all (dis)obedience

Question 17

STRENGTH-
I- Research support

Agentic state

Answer 17

D- Most of Milgram’s participants resisted shocks and asked experimenter about responsibility. Experimenter replied ‘I am responsible’ and participant continued with procedure
E- Shows when participants perceived they were no longer responsible, they more easilt acted as the experimenter’s agent

Question 18

LIMITATION-
I- Limited explanation

Agentic state

Answer 18

D- Rank and Jacobson found that 16/18 nurses disobeyed orders froma doctor to administer an excessive drug dose to a patient. Despite doctor’s authority, nurses remained autonomous
E- Suggests agentic shift only accounts for some situations of obedience

Question 19

STRENGTH-
I- Explains cultural differences

Legitmacy of authority

Answer 19

D- Kilham and Mann found 16% of Australian women went up to 450V in a Milgram-style study. Mantell found 85% for Germans
E- Shows in some cultures, authority is more likely to be accepted as legitimate

Question 20

LIMITATION-
I- Cannot explain all (dis)obedience

Legitimacy of authority

Answer 20

D- Nurses in Rank and Jacobson’s study were mostly disobedient despite working in a rigidly hierarchical authority structure. Significant minority diosbeyed despite recognising the experimenter’s scientific authority
E- Suggests obedience is due to dispositional factors- some are simply more obedient than others