Obedience: SOCIAL INFLUENCE

Question 1

DEFINE OBEDIENCE`

Answer 1

a form of social influence in which an individual follows a direct order.
The person issuing the order is usually a person of authority, who has the power to punish the behaviour if the individual does not obey

Question 2

aim of Milgram’s Baseline experiment

Answer 2

Assess levels of obedience in the presence of an authority figure

Question 3

Sample of Milgram’s Baseline experiment

Answer 3

-40 American men
–age 20-50 yrs
-Recruited via newspaper advert and paid £4.50 for participating, even if they did not complete the study

Question 4

role of allparticipants in Milgrams baseline study

Answer 4

Learner - confederate
Teacher - NAive p p
experimenter (not Milgram) in grey lab coat

Question 5

what were the 4 prods used by the experimenter to encourage the teacher to carry on with the experiment

Answer 5

1)Please continue
2)The experiment requires you to continue
3)It is absolutely essential that you continue
4)You have no other choice but to continue

Question 6

How was the role of teacher or learner chosen

Answer 6

P.p had to draw roles . it was rigged so that the confederate (actor) always got the ‘learner’ role and the Naïve (true) p.p always got the ‘teacher’ role

Question 7

what were the Naïve p.p told the experiment was (Milgram)

Answer 7

‘a study to measure the effects of punishment on memory’

Question 8

what three questions pushed Stanley Milgram to study Obedience ?

Answer 8

1)Why did so many Germans obey to Hitler’s command to kill so many
2)Are Germen people different?
3)Are they more Obedient ?

Question 9

what voltage did the electric generator range

Answer 9

15-450 V

Question 10

what are situational variables of obedience

+NAME THEM

Answer 10

features of the immediate physical and social environment which may influence a persons behaviour

-proximity
-location
-uniform

Question 11

what is proximity in Milgram’s study (obedience

Answer 11

The closeness of distance of the authority figure to the teacher. - The physical closeness of the teacher to the learner

Question 12

what where the three conditions of proximity in Milgrams study and their findings

Answer 12

-Same room: Obedience dropped from 65% to 40%

-Touch proximity: Teachers now had to force learners hands onto shock plate. Obedience 30%

-Remote instruction: Experimenter gave instructions by phone. Obedience dropped to 20.5% and p.p pretended to give shocks

Question 13

What is location is Milgrams variation study

how did it effect obedience

Answer 13

the place from which the order is issued.
in this variation, milgram conducted his research in a run down office block rather than a prestigious uni

Obedience dropped to 47.5%

Question 14

what is uniform in Milgrams variation study

findings

Answer 14

uniform of authority figure

in this variation, the experimenter was called out and replaced by a ‘ordinary member of the public’

-obedience dropped to 20%. the lowest

Question 15

what does a change in proximity effect in obedience

Answer 15

The responsibility of the p.p

Question 16

what does a change in Location effect in obedience

Answer 16

Legitimacy

Question 17

what does a change in uniform effect obedience

Answer 17

authority

Question 18

difference between situational and Dispositional Explanations of obedience

Answer 18

Dispositional = internal

situational = external

Question 19

What is the agentic state

Answer 19

-mental state, feel no personal responsibility for our behavior as we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure;
acting as an ‘agent’

Question 20

what is an ‘agent’ in obedience

Answer 20

someone who acts for or in place of another. an agent experiences high anxiety or guilt when they realise what they are doing is wrong, feel powerless to disobey

Question 21

what is the Autonomous state

Answer 21

Person feels they can behave freely, Have responsibility.
Act on own principles and beliefs.

Question 22

what is the agentic shift
What did Milgram suggest

Answer 22

Transition from autonomous to agentic state.
Milgram (1974) suggested this shift occurs when a person perceives someone else as an authority figure. This figure has more power in the hierarchy. Person must obey

Question 23

what is the Legitimacy of Authority theory

Answer 23

-explanation of obedience which suggests that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us.
-This authority is justified by the indivs position of power within a social hierarchy. This authority can be demonstrated by uniform and the ability to punish

-Legitimacy of authority is agreed by society and we learn to accept it from a very young age

Question 24

what is destructive authority

Answer 24

-when the legitimate power is used to destroy

the authority figure orders people to behave in ways that are cruel or dangerous.
(shown by milgram using prods)

Question 25

What are dispositional explanations

Answer 25

any explanation of behavior that highlights the importance of the individuals personality

Question 26

Who is Theodor Adorno

Answer 26

-wanted to understand anti-Semitism seen in Holocaust
-Focused on dispositional expls, suggesting obedience is pathological, forming part of out personality

Question 27

what is authoritarian personality

Answer 27

a type of personality that is very obedient to authority. someone with this type of personality is likely to be submissive to higher authority but dismissive to to inferiors

Question 28

What did Adorno suggest authoritarian personality was a result of

E.g:

Answer 28

a result of over harsh parenting during childhood

such as
-strict discipline
-absolute loyalty
-impossibly high standards
-sever criticism

Question 28

how does strict parenting cause authoritarian personality?

Answer 28

children’s experiences creates resentment and hostility. They are too scared of punishment to direct these feelings onto their parents. therefore displace these emotions onto others, often those seen as inferior

Question 29

Did Adorno relate the Authoritarian personality to Obedience

Answer 29

NO

Milgram + Elms did

Question 30

overall what does milgrams variables suggest

Answer 30

Overall, Milgrams findings of research into situational variables of obedience suggest that peoples obedience rates depend on proximity, location and uniform.

Question 31

when was bickmans research

Answer 31

1974

Question 32

what were the three uniform in bickman

Answer 32

milkman
guard
ordinary

Question 33

what were bickmans three tasks

Answer 33

1) pick up bag
2) pay into parking meter
3) stand on the other side of a bus stop where it says no standing

Question 34

findings of bickman

Answer 34

people conformed to the …
guard 76% of the time
milkman 47%
normal 30%

Question 35

legitimacy of authority summary

Answer 35

-Situational
-more likely to obey in presence of legitimate authority figure
-learned from young age
many ways it is demonstrated:
-social hierarchy, high up = legitimate e.g: teacher
-Ability to punish e.g: arrest
uniform e.g: badge

Destructive authority