obedience; situational variables

Question 1

what are the situational varibles?

Answer 1

1. milgram identified external facors rather than peoples personalities this included:
   promixity,location and uniform

Question 2

What were the new versions of milgrams study?

Answer 2

1.run down office- lower (47.5%)
2.teacher and learner in the same room-lower (40%)
3.teacher forcing partcipants hand onto electronic plate(30%)- lower
4.experimenter left room and gave instructions over the phone- lower (20.5%)
5.experimenter played by memeber of public - no uniform- lower (20%)

Question 3

what is promixity?

Answer 3

its the physcial closeness or distance of an authority figure to the person they are giving orders too
(orginal study- learner and teacher not in the same room
variation- teacher and learner in the same room)

Question 4

one condition

Answer 4

teachers forced learners hand onto electric shock plate when they refused to answer a Q- touching proxmixity obdience down 30%)

Question 5

second condition

Answer 5

experimenter left the room and gave instructions by phone- remote proxmixity.
dropped by 20.5%
participants pretended to give shocks or gave weaker shocks than they had been ordered to provide.

Question 6

location(place an order is issued and the status and prestigae associated w it)

Answer 6

orginal- prestiage uni in yale(65%)
variaiton- run down office (47.5%)

Question 7

uniform(people in authority often quite smartly dressed so entitlted to our obedience)

Answer 7

original- wore lab coat(65%)
variation- role of experimenter done by member of public (confederate)- 20%

Question 8

Correlation between obedience and proxmixity?

Answer 8

allows ppl to psychologically distance themselves from the consequences of their actions.
when teacher and learner were seperated the teacher was less aware of the damage they were inflicting - so more obedient.

Question 9

Correlation between location and obedience

Answer 9

Uni seemed more legitmate, obedience would be more expected.
Obedience high in the office bc they percieved scientfic nature of procedure.

Question 10

Correlation between uniform and obedience?

Answer 10

1.encourage obedience- symbol of authority
2.entitled to obedience bc they hv authority
3.more right to expect obedience

Question 11

strengths? resersch suport

Answer 11

-blackmans new york city had 3 diff confederates fits- jacket and tie, milkman and security guard and asked ppl to do certain orders e.g pick up litter.
-twice as likely to obey secuirty gaurd rather than man in jacket and tie.
-supports uniform situational variable view- affects obedience.

Answer 12

• meews and raajj used realistic procedure- Ps had to say stressful things in job interview to someone a confederate desperate for job = 90% Ps obeyed
  -when prsn giving orders wasent present- the obdience decreased
  -so milgrams study not jus limited to americans or men- valid for women too.

Question 13

Weaknesses? cultural differences

Answer 13

1. smith and bond - identified replications in india and jordan- culturally diff to the US.
   milgrams findings on promixity, location,validity may not be applicable to all people in all cultures.
   -different notions ab role of authority

Question 14

weakness number 2 low internal validity

Answer 14

2.low internal validity- behaviour isnt natural- Ps may have been aware of procedure aims.
There was extra manipulation of variables when experimenter replaced w member of public- Ps may have worked out the truth.
(unclear if Ps genuinley obedient or able to see thru deception and ‘play acted’.

Question 15

weakness number 3 - danger of situaitional perspective

Answer 15

1.it gives an excuse for evil behaviour which is widely critiscised.
2. offensive to survviors of holocaust saying that nazis were just obeying orders.
ignores dispositional factor (personality) saying Nazis were victims of situiational facors beyond their control