Obedience To Authority Flashcards
Who studied obedience to authority?
Milgram 1963
What was the general outline of Migram’s experiment?
One person had to give a fake electric shock to another
What was the result of Migram’s experiment?
Ordinary people will hurt others when told to.
Did Milgram’s experiment have ecological validity and why?
No. Because people are unlikely to give electric shocks to other people in real life
Name 2 bad things about the ethics of Migram’s experiments
The participants were decieved so no informed consent.
The participants became stressed so they weren’t protected
Name 1 good thing about Milgram’s experiment
The participants were debriefed afterwards
Name 2 situational factors that Milgram found affected obedience
Presence of allies
Proximity of the victim
Proximity of authority
Location of the experiment
Which theory tries to explain Obedience?
Milgram’s Agency Theory 1973
What does the Agency Theory say?
When we feel that we are acting out the wishes of another person, we feel less responsible
In Milgram’s 1963 expetiment, what percentage of people have the maximum shock?
65%
What is ‘agentic shift’?
The change from thinking for yourself to following orders
What Binding Factors did Milgram think caused people to keep following orders?
Participants had been paid
Pressure off the surroundings
Insistence of the authority figure
What doesn’t the Agency Theory explain?
Why some people never conform
Define what makes a Legitimate Authority.
Someone with a respected and defined social role
How did Milgram test Legitimacy?
He ran his experiment in run down offices
