obedience situational variables

Question 1

first proximity variation

Answer 1

the teacher and the leaner were in adjoining rooms so the teacher could hear the learner but not see him . in the proximity variation they were in the same room , obedience rate dropped from the baseline 65% to 40%

Question 2

second proximity variation

Answer 2

a more dramatic version the teacher had to force the learners hand onto an electro shock plate , when he refused to answer a question , the obedience rate dropped to a further 30%

Question 3

third proximity variation

Answer 3

experimenter the left the room and gave instructions to the teacher hy telephone . in this remote instruction condition time proximity was reduced . the outcome was a further reduction in obedience to 20.5% . the participants also frequently pretended to give shocks or gave weaker ones then they were ordered to

Question 4

location

Answer 4

in another kind of variation milgram changed the location of the obedience study . he conducted a variation in a run down building rather than the prestigious university setting where it was originally conducted . in such a situation the experimenter had less authority . obedience fell to 47.5% this is quite a high level of obedience but it is less than the original 65% in the original baseline study.

Question 5

uniform

Answer 5

in the original baseline study , the experimenter wore a grey lab coat as a symbol of his authority . milgram carried out a variation in which the experimenter was called away because of an inconvenient telephone call right at the start of the procedure . the role of the experimenter was taken over by an ordinary menmebr of the public , in everyday clothes rather than a lab coat . the obedience rate dropped to 20% the lowest of these variations

Question 6

research support
strength

Answer 6

Hickman 1974
a field experiment in nyc had three confederates dress in three different outfits
1. jacket and a tie
2. milkmans outfit
3. security guard
confederates stood in the street and asked passers by to perform tasks such as picking up litter or giving the confederate a coin for the parking meter .
people were twice as likely to obey the assistant dressed as a security guard than the one dressed in jacket and tie .
supports milgram conclusion that a uniform conveys the authority of it’d wearer and its a situational factor likely to produce obedience

Question 7

lack of internal validty

Answer 7

Orne and Holland
criticised milgrams original study as they believed many ps new it was fake, and even more likely 9n the variations as the manipulation increased.
eg experimenter being replaced by member of public situation so contrived suspect some new it was fake
weakness unclear if results are genuinely due to operation of obedience or saw through the deception

Question 8

cross cultural replications
strength

Answer 8

finding have been replicated in other cultures
mirada et al 1981
found an obedience rate over 90% in Spanish students , suggests milgrams results are not limited too American males but are valid ross culture and too females
smith and bond 1998
make a crucial point that all replications have been in western cultures such as Spain and Australia , premature to conclude milgrams findings on situational variables apply everywhere

Question 9

the obedience Albi
weakness

Answer 9

David Mandel 1998
criticised this and likened the behaviour displayed in the teacher leaner environment is similar to an excucse or Albi for evil behaviour , and his view is offensive to holocaust surviovors . to simply suggest nazis were obeying hitler due to situational factors