Obedience to authority

Question 1

Milgram study on obedience

Answer 1

Told participants they were studying the effect of punishment on learning; had them give a shock every time the “learner” (confederate) got an answer wrong; majority went up to highest voltage; self-justification (gave a smaller shock before so it should be okay), informational social influence (expert says it’s okay)

Question 2

Factor’s that can alter obedience (follow-ups to Milgram’s study)

Answer 2

Victim’s distance (shocked at lower rates when victim was in the same room), presence of an authority figure (shocked at lower rates when talking to experimenter on phone), institutional authority (decrease in compliance with less “prestigious” schools, group influence (when a confederate disobeyed the experimenter, most participants did too)

Question 3

Tight cultures

Answer 3

Strong norms and low tolerance of deviance, more social controls, less crime, uniformity/conformity, self-control and regulation

Question 4

Loose cultures

Answer 4

Weaker norms and high tolerance of deviance, less controls and more crime, open to different people and ideas, creativity, change

Question 5

Ethics in the Milgram study

Answer 5

Deception, lack of informed consent, psychological distress, lack of awareness of right to withdraw, inflicted insight