Obedience-Situational Variables

Question 1

A01

Outline obedience:situational variables

Answer 1

Milgram carried out number of variations in order to consider the situational variables that may lead to more/less obedience

Question 2

A01

Outline Milgrams baseline study variations

Answer 2

In milgrams baseline study teacher could hear learner but not see him
In proximity variation
teacher & learner were in same room obedience dropped from 65% to 40%

Question 3

Outline factors affecting obedience

Answer 3

• Proximity
• Location
• Uniform

Question 4

A01

Outline what happended in touch Proximity variation

Answer 4

> Teacher forced learners hand onto electronic plate when refused to answer Q
Obedience dropped further 30%

Question 5

A01

Outline what happened In remote instruction Variation

Answer 5

Experimenter left room & gave instructions to teacher by telephone
obedience reduced to 20.5%

Question 6

A01

Explanations for decrease in proximity

Answer 6

Decreased proximity allows ppl to psychologically distant themselves from consequence of own actions
E.g In baseline study teacher & learner were in seperate rooms
>teacher was less aware of harm caused to another person
>so more obedient

Question 7

A01

outline what happened in location variation affects obedience

Answer 7

when milgram conducted a variation in run down office- rather then uni obedience fell 47.5%

Question 8

A01

Explanations for how location affected obedience

Answer 8

Participants obeyed more when study conducted at
prestigious university
this enviroment gave milgrams study legitimacy & authority
such a location demands obedience as p believed experimenter shared this legitimacy .

Question 9

A01

Outline what happened in uniform variation

Answer 9

In baseline study, experimenter wore a grey lab coat as symbol of his authority.
In one variation experimenter (confederate) wore normal clothes obedience rate dropped 20%

Question 10

Explanations of how uniform affected obedience rating

Explanation

Answer 10

Uniforms encourage obedient because they widely recognised as symbols of authority. P obeyed more when experimenter wore a lab coat.
A person is more likely to obey wearing a uniform as it gives
higher status & greater sense of legitimacy.

Question 11

A03

Lack of ecological validity-tasks not those we encounter everyday

limitation

Answer 11

The tasks given to p are not like those we would encounter in real life meaning that the methodology lacks mundane realism, producing results which are low
in ecological validity.

Question 12

A03

Low internal Validity(limitation) A03
Orne & Holland-extra manipulation of variables, p aware procedure was fake

Answer 12

Participants may be aware that procedure was fake
>orne & Holland argue Milgram had extra manipulation of variables in variations
in one variation experimenter was replaced by member of public
Milgram admitting that p could see through this deception
>It is unclear whether findings due to obedience or p responded to demand characteristics

Question 13

A03

high external validity- doctors & nurses-Hofling
95% obeyed

strength

Answer 13

Hofling et al (1966) observed behaviour of doctors & nurses
in (covert observation).
The researchers found that 95% of nurses in hospital obeyed doctor
(confederate) over phone to increase the dosage of a patient’s
medicine
suggests that ‘everyday’ individuals are still susceptible to obeying destructive
authority figures.
high external validity

Question 14

research support for situational variables on obedience uniform
Bickman field experiment-3 CF outfits

Answer 14

In field experiment , Bickman had 3 CF dress in 3 diff outfits,:
jacket & tie
, milkmans outfit &
security guards uniform,
the CF were told to stand in street & ask passers by to perform tasks such as picking up litter, ppl twice as likely to obey assistant dressed as a security guard then the ones drssed in jacket & tie
supportsview that situationla variable like uniform have powerful effect on obedience