Obedience: Situational Variables

Question 1

List the three situational variables investigated by Milgram

Answer 1

Proximity
Location
Uniform

Question 2

What happened to obedience levels when the teacher and the learner were in the same room?

Answer 2

Obedience dropped from 65% to 40%

Question 3

What happened to obedience levels when the teacher had to force the learners hand onto an electrode plate?

Answer 3

Obedience dropped 30%

Question 4

What happened to obedience levels when the location changed?

Answer 4

Yale uni —> run down high street

Obedience dropped to 47.5%

Question 5

What happened to obedience levels when the uniform changed?

Answer 5

Prestigious experimenter —> ‘member of the public’

Obedience dropped to 20%

Question 6

One strength of Milgram’s situational variable research is the research support. Describe this. (AO3)

Answer 6

Bickman

Field study in NYC: 3 confederates in different outfits and asked people to do things eg. Pick up litter.
Twice as likely to obey a person dressed as a security guard than a man in a suit and tie.

Supports milgram’s ideas on uniform

Question 7

What is one limitation of Milgram’s research on situational variables? (AO3)

Answer 7

Many PPS worked out the experiment was fake, even more likely for the variables as extra manipulation. For ‘member of the public’ even Milgram said the situation was contrived. Unclear of results are due to obedience or deception.

Question 8

Did the cross cultural research replicate milgram’s experiment? (AO3)

Answer 8

Yes

Miranda: 90% obedience in Spanish students. Shows milgrams findings are not limited to us men. However replications were only on westernised cultures.