obedience situational variables

Question 1

what are the 3 situational variables Milgram studied

Answer 1

• proximity
• uniform
• location

Question 2

how did milgram study proximity

Answer 2

• teacher and learner in the same room
• obedience dropped form 65% to 40%
• touch proximity dropped down to 30%
• decreased proximity allowed people to psychologically distance themselves form the consequences of their action

Question 3

how did milgram study location

Answer 3

• run down office block
• obedience fell to 47.5%
• prestigious environment gave study legitimacy and authority

Question 4

how did milgram study uniform

Answer 4

• when an experimenter was replaced with an ordinary member of public obedience dropped to 20%
• uniforms encourage obedience as they are recognised as symbols of authority
  -people in uniforms authority is legitimate

Question 5

strengths of situational variables

Answer 5

1. research support
   - bickman (1974) field experiment had 3 confederates dress as a milkman, businessman and guard
   - confederates asked passerby to puck up litter
   - people are twice as likely to obey the guard than the businessman
2. cross cultural replication
   - meeus and raaijmakers (1886) studied obedience in dutch participants
   - ordered to say stressful things in an interview to someone desperate for a job
   - 90% obeyed
   - obedience decreased when a person giving orders not present

Question 6

limitations of situational variables

Answer 6

1. low internal validity
   - participants may have been aware the procedure was fake
   - variation where the experimenter is replaced by member of the public
   milgram recognised that participants may have worked out it was fake
   - unsure if findings are due to obedience or demand characteristic