Obedience: SOCIAL INFLUENCE Flashcards
DEFINE OBEDIENCE`
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
aim of Milgram’s Baseline experiment
Assess levels of obedience in the presence of an authority figure
Sample of Milgram’s Baseline experiment
-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
role of allparticipants in Milgrams baseline study
Learner - confederate
Teacher - NAive p p
experimenter (not Milgram) in grey lab coat
what were the 4 prods used by the experimenter to encourage the teacher to carry on with the experiment
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
How was the role of teacher or learner chosen
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
what were the Naïve p.p told the experiment was (Milgram)
‘a study to measure the effects of punishment on memory’
what three questions pushed Stanley Milgram to study Obedience ?
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 ?
what voltage did the electric generator range
15-450 V
what are situational variables of obedience
+NAME THEM
features of the immediate physical and social environment which may influence a persons behaviour
-proximity
-location
-uniform
what is proximity in Milgram’s study (obedience
The closeness of distance of the authority figure to the teacher. - The physical closeness of the teacher to the learner
what where the three conditions of proximity in Milgrams study and their findings
-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
What is location is Milgrams variation study
how did it effect obedience
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%
what is uniform in Milgrams variation study
findings
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
what does a change in proximity effect in obedience
The responsibility of the p.p
what does a change in Location effect in obedience
Legitimacy
what does a change in uniform effect obedience
authority
difference between situational and Dispositional Explanations of obedience
Dispositional = internal
situational = external
What is the agentic state
-mental state, feel no personal responsibility for our behavior as we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure;
acting as an ‘agent’
what is an ‘agent’ in obedience
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
what is the Autonomous state
Person feels they can behave freely, Have responsibility.
Act on own principles and beliefs.
what is the agentic shift
What did Milgram suggest
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
what is the Legitimacy of Authority theory
-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
what is destructive authority
-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)
What are dispositional explanations
any explanation of behavior that highlights the importance of the individuals personality
Who is Theodor Adorno
-wanted to understand anti-Semitism seen in Holocaust
-Focused on dispositional expls, suggesting obedience is pathological, forming part of out personality
what is authoritarian personality
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
What did Adorno suggest authoritarian personality was a result of
E.g:
a result of over harsh parenting during childhood
such as
-strict discipline
-absolute loyalty
-impossibly high standards
-sever criticism
how does strict parenting cause authoritarian personality?
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
Did Adorno relate the Authoritarian personality to Obedience
NO
Milgram + Elms did
overall what does milgrams variables suggest
Overall, Milgrams findings of research into situational variables of obedience suggest that peoples obedience rates depend on proximity, location and uniform.
when was bickmans research
1974
what were the three uniform in bickman
milkman
guard
ordinary
what were bickmans three tasks
1) pick up bag
2) pay into parking meter
3) stand on the other side of a bus stop where it says no standing
findings of bickman
people conformed to the …
guard 76% of the time
milkman 47%
normal 30%
legitimacy of authority summary
-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
