Obedience: Social-psychological Factors A01&3

Question 1

Limitation

Answer 1

P-agentic shift doesn’t explain many of the research findings
E-some ppts did not obey, humans are social animals in social heirarchies and therefore should all obey
E-also in holfing et als study, nurses should have shown anxiety as they have responsibility over to the doctor because they understood their role in a destructive process but this was not the case
L-so agentic shift can only account for some situations of obedience

Question 2

Limitation

Answer 2

P-agentic state cannot account for the behaviour of the Nazis
E-mandel described German Reserve police Batallion 101, men shot civilians in a small town in Poland
E-they did this even though they were not directly ordered to
L-challenges the agentic state explanation because the Reserve Police were not powerless to disobey

Question 3

Strength

Answer 3

P-legiticamy of authority is a useful account of cultural differences in obedience
E-countries differ in obedience to authority: only 16% of Australians went to the top of the voltage scale
E-authority is more likely to be accepted as legitimate in some cultures. This reflects how different societies are structured and children raised to perceive authority figures
L-supportive findings from cross cultural research increase the validity of the explanation

Question 4

Strength

Answer 4

P-legitimacy of authority can explain real life obedience
E-Kelman and hamilton suggest the Vietnam war is explained by the power hierarchy of the US army
E-the army has authority recognised by the US Government and the law. Soldiers assume orders given by the hierarchy to be the legal; even orders to kill, rape and destroy villages
L-the legitimacy of authority explanation is able to give reasons why destructive obedience is committed