obedience: situational variables Flashcards
what are situational variables?
features of immediate physical and social environment which may influence a persons behaviour
what are the situational variables Milgram investigated?
- location
- proximity
- uniform
location variations Milgram found?
- original study was in Yale uni
- run down office block= obedience rates dropped to 47.5%
proximity variations Milgram found?
- original study, the teacher and learner were in adjoining rooms
- teacher and learner in same room= obedience dropped to 40%.
- decreased to 20% when experimenter delivered instructions to the teacher via telephone.
uniform variations Milgram found?
- original study the lab coat added authority/status to the experimenter meaning the P’s more likely to obey
- experimenter replaced by ordinary citizen, obedience dropped to 20%
percentage of shocks delivered for standard procedure
65%
proximity
percentage of shocks delivered for victim silent
100%
percentage of shocks delivered for p paired with 2 confederates who refuse to obey
10%
explanation of uniform
- adds legitimacy to authority eg police
- when experimenter called away and replaced by ordinary citizen obedience decreased to 20%
explanation of proximity
- proximity= physical distance between teacher and learner
- distance increases= obedience decreases as p’s physically saw effects
explanation of location
- adds more legitimacy to authority
- run down office= obedience decrease to 47.5%
- see as less serious so less likely to do it
evaluation
L: lack of internal validity
L: ‘obedience alibi”
S: research support- Bickman
S: cross-cultural replications
S: control
Bickman research support
- found that people on the street obeyed a stranger when asked to do everyday tasks (pick up litter, move away from bus stop)
- more when he was dressed in uniform (security guard) over a milkman/normal clothes.
how is there conflicting evidence with the obedience alibi?
- Mandel (1998) argued that Milgram’s
research provides an excuse (or ‘alibi’) for
evil behaviour. - explain behaviour of Nazi’s as due to situational variables
- socially sensitive
how is there lack of internal validity?
- Orne and Holland- p’s could have
worked out the procedure was fake. - socially desirable results reduce validity
- questions findings
how is there high degree of control?
- manipulated variables in each situation, standardised + operationalised
- even when variables were changed still kept standardised
- use of lab experiment
how is there cross cultural replications?
- Miranda et al. (1981) found an obedience rate
of over 90% amongst Spanish students. - high reliability
- generalise findings across cultures
