obedience- situational variables

Question 1

situational variables definition

Answer 1

features of the immediate physical and social environment which may influence a person’s behaviour (such as proximity,location and uniform). the alternative is dispositional variables where behaviour is explained in terms of personality

Question 2

proximity definition

Answer 2

physical closeness or distance of an authority figure to the person they are giving and order to. also refers to the physical closeness of the teacher to the victim (learner) in Milgram’s studies

Question 3

location definition

Answer 3

the place where an order is issued. the relevant factor that influences obedience is status or prestige associated with the location

Question 4

uniform definition

Answer 4

people in positions of authority often have a specific outfit that is symbolic of their authority, for example police officers and judges. this indicates that they entitled to expect our obedience

Question 5

why did Milgram do variations

Answer 5

to consider the situational variables that might lead to more or less obedience

Question 6

what 3 situational variables did Milgram investigate

Answer 6

-proximity
-location
-uniform

Question 7

what was the proximity of teacher an learner in baseline

Answer 7

teacher could hear the learner but not see him

Question 8

how did Milgram vary the baseline to investigate proximity

Answer 8

teacher and learner were in the same room

Question 9

results when teacher and learner were in the same room

Answer 9

obedience rate dropped to 40% (was originally at 65%)

Question 10

how did Milgram vary investigation for touch proximity variation

Answer 10

teacher had to force Learner’s hand onto an electricshock plate if he refused to place it there himself after giving a wrong answer

Question 11

results of touch proximity variation

Answer 11

obedience dropped to 30%

Question 12

how did Milgram vary study for remote instruction (proximity) variation

Answer 12

experimenter left the room and gave instructions to the teacher by telephone

Question 13

results of remote instruction variation

Answer 13

obedience dropped to 20.5%. the participants also frequently pretended to give electric shocks

Question 14

what 3 ways did Milgram vary proximity

Answer 14

-teacher and learner in the same room
-touch proximity
-remote instruction

Question 15

explanation of results for proximity variation

Answer 15

-decreased proximity allows people to psychologically distance themselves from the consequences of their actions
-for example when the teacher and learner were physically separated (baseline), the teacher was less aware of the harm they were causing another person so they were more obedient

Question 16

how did Milgram vary location

Answer 16

conducted variation in a run-down office block rather than prestigious Yale university where the baseline study was

Question 17

results of loction variation

Answer 17

obedience fell to 47.5%

Question 18

explanation for results of location variation

Answer 18

-prestigious university environment gave Milgram’s study legitimacy and authority. participants were more obedient in this location because they perceived the experimenter shared legitimacy and that obedience was expected. however, obedience was still quite high in the office block because participants perceived the scientific nature of the procedure

Question 19

how did Milgram vary uniform

Answer 19

in the baseline, the experimenter wore a grey lab coat as a symbol of authority. in one variation, the experimenter was called away at the beginning of procedure due to an inconvenient phone call. experimenter was taken over by an ordinary member of the public (confederate) in everyday clothes rather than a lab coat

Question 20

results of uniform variation

Answer 20

obedience dropped to 20% which is the lowest of these variation

Question 21

explanation for results of uniform variation

Answer 21

uniforms encourage obedience as they are widely recognised as symbols of authority. we accept that someone in a uniform is entitled to expect obedience because there authority is legitimate. someone without uniform has less right to expect our obedience

Question 22

strength of Milgram’s research on situational variables - research support

Answer 22

-other studies have demonstrated situational variables on obedience
-in a field experiment in New York City, Bickman 1974 had 3 confederates dress in different outfits- jacket and tie, milkman’s outfit and security guards uniform. the confederates individually stood in the street and asked passers-by to do tasks such as picking up litter or handing over a coin for the parking meter. people were twice as likely to obey the assistant dressed as a security guard than the one in a jacket and tie –> supports the view that a situational variable, such as uniform, does have a powerful effect on obedience

Question 23

strength of Milgram’s research on situational variables - cross-cultural replication

Answer 23

-Milgram’s findings have been replicated in other cultures
-Meeus and Raaijmakers 1986 used a more realistic procedure than Milgram’s to study obedience in Dutch participants. participants were ordered to say stressful things in an interview to someone (confederate) desperate for a job. 90% obeyed. MIlgram’s findings concerning proximity were also replicated as when a person giving orders is not present, obedience decreased dramatically –> suggests that Milgram’s findings about obedience are not just limited to American or men, but valid across cultures and apply to women

Question 24

limitation of Milgram’s research on situational variables - counterpoint to cross cultural replication

Answer 24

-replication of Milgram’s research are not very ‘cross-cultural’.
-Smith and Bond identified just 2 replication between 1968 and 1985 that took place in India and Jordan - which are culturally different for US. other countries involved such as Spain, Australia and Scotland are culturally similar to US as have similar notions about role of authority –> may not be appropriate to conclude Milgram’s findings apply to people in most cultures (lack generalisability)

Question 25

evaluation of Milgram’s research on situational variables -the danger of the situational perspective

Answer 25

-Milgram’s findings support a situational explanation of obedience
-this perspective has been criticised by Mandel 1998 who argues it offers an excuse or alibi for evil behaviour. in his view, it is offensive to survivors of the Holocaust to suggest Nazi’s were simply obeying orders. Milgram’s explanation also ignores the role of dispositional factors such as personality, implying the Nazis were victims of situational factors beyond their control