obedience social pyschological factors

Question 1

agentic state

Answer 1

when a person is acting as an agent for a person , feel powerless to disobey , recognise what they are doing is wrong

Question 2

autonomous state

Answer 2

a person is free to behave airing to their own principles and therefore feel a sense of greater repsonisbilty for their own actions

Question 3

agentic shift
milgram 1974

Answer 3

shift occurs when a person perceives someone else as a figure of authority . this person has greater power in the social hierarchy .

Question 4

binding factors

Answer 4

(participants couldn’t leave milgrams experiment explanation)
aspects of the situation that allow the person to ignore or minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour and reduce the moral strain they are feeling . milgam introduced a number of strategies such as shifting the blame to the victim “foolish to volunteer” or deny the damage to victims

Question 5

legitimacy of authority

Answer 5

based on social hierarchy
certain figures hold authority over us such as police
a consequence of this is the some people are granted to punish others
we learn acceptance of authority figures from childhood , parents initially then teachers etc

Question 6

destructive authority

Answer 6

problems arise when legitimate figures become to powerful , such as hitler etc
shown in milgrams study when the experimenter used prods to order participants to behave in ways that went against they consciences

Question 7

research support
strength

Answer 7

Blass and schmitt 2001
showed a film of milgrams study to students and asked them to identify who they felt was responsible for the harm to the learner
the students blamed the experimenter rather then the student , also indicated responsibility was due to legitimate authority the experimenter and due to the expert authority as he was a scientist

Question 8

a limited explanation
weakness

Answer 8

the agentic shift doesn’t explain many of the research findings
eg why some of the participants didn’t obey
hofling et al
also does not explain why the nurse handed over responsibility to the doctor , showed similar levels of anxiety as milgrams participants , as they understood the role in the destructive obedience however the nurses didn’t showing the agentic state can only account for some situations of obedience

Question 9

cultral differences
strength

Answer 9

legitimacy of authority is useful as it accounts for cultral differences , replications show obedience levels differ between cultures
kilham and mann 1974
australia 16% gave max volt
mantell 1971
German ps 85% gave max volt
- in some cultures authority is more likely accepted as legitimate and entitled to demand obedience from people . reflects the way societies are structured . increases validity