P1: Social Influence

Question 1

What is the agentic state?

Answer 1

A mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure.
This frees us from the demands of our consciences and allows us to obey even a destructive authority figure.

Question 2

What is the autonomous state?

Answer 2

The opposite to an agentic state. This is the belief that we are free to behave on our own accord and hold responsibility for our actions.

Question 3

What is the agentic shift?

Answer 3

The shift from autonomy to agency.
Milgram suggested that this occurs when we perceive someone else as an authority figure.
They have greater power as they have a higher position in the social hierarchy.

Question 4

Support for the agentic state as an explanation of obedience:

Answer 4

Milgram’s study.
Most of the ppts resisted giving shocks asking ‘who is responsible?’
Only when the experimenter took responsibility woul they proceed without objection.
This shows that once the ppt believed they were not responsible they acted more easily as the Experimenter’s agent.

Question 5

Limitations of the agentic state as an explanation for obedience eg nurses:

Answer 5

Can only explain some situations of obedience.
Rank and Jacobson-
16/18 nurses disobeyed orders from a doctor to administer an excessive drug dose to a patient.

Question 6

What is legitimacy of authority?

Answer 6

An explanation for obedience which suggests that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us. The authority is justified by the individual’s position in the social hierarchy.

Question 7

Support for legitimacy of authority as an explanation of obedience

Answer 7

Explains cultural differences
Many studies show that countries differ in extent of obedience.
Kilham and Mann - Only 16% of Australian women went up to the lethal volts in a Milgram style study. David Mantell- German women were much higher at 85%.
In some cultures authority is more likely to be accepted as legitimate and demands obedience.

Question 8

Limitations for legitimacy of authority as an explanation of obedience

Answer 8

Cannot explain all disobedience in a hierarchy where legitimacy of authority is clear and accepted
Nurses in Rank and Jacobson’s study- most were disobedient despite working in a rigidly hierarchical environment
Also, a significant minority of Milgram’s participants disobeyed despite recognising the Experimenter’s scientific authority.
People may just be less/more obedient than others.

Question 9

What are the situational variables affecting obedience?

Answer 9

Proximity, Location and Uniform

Question 10

How does proximity affect obedience?

Answer 10

The physical closeness or distance of an authority figure to the person they are giving the order to.
Eg. closeness of the teacher to the learner in Milgram’s study.

Question 11

Example of proximity in Milgram’s study:

Answer 11

In the baseline study the Teacher could hear the Learner but not see them.
In the proximity variation they were in the same room.
The obedience rate dropped from 65% to 40% when they could no longer distance themselves from their actions.
When they had to force the learners hand this dropped further to 30%.
When the experimenter left the room obedience dropped to 20.5%.

Question 12

How does location affect obedience?

Answer 12

The place where an order is issued. The status or prestige of the setting can affect obedience.
Eg. the run down office block vs the University in Milgram’s study

Question 13

Example of location in Milgram’s study:

Answer 13

Milgram conducted a variation in a run down office block rather than the prestigious Yale University.
Obedience fell to 47.5%.
The prestigious setting had given the study legitimacy and authority.
Obedience was still high however as ppt’s perceived the scientific nature of the study.

Question 14

How does uniform affect obedience?

Answer 14

People in positions of authority usually have particular outfits which are symbolic of their authority. This indicates that they are entitled to expect obedience.
Eg. the jackets in Milgram’s study

Question 15

Example of uniform in Milgram’s study

Answer 15

In the baseline study the experimenter wore a grey lab coat as a symbol of their authority.
In one variation the experimenter was called away and replaced by an ‘ordinary member of the public’ in everyday clothes.
The obedience rate dropped to 20%- the lowest of the variations.
-Someone without a uniform has less right to expect obedience

Question 16

Support for situational variables affecting obedience- Bickman

Answer 16

Bickman (1974) Field study in New York
Three confederates; milkman, business man and security officer
Confederates individually stood on the street and asked passers by to complete tasks- collect litter/ hand over a coin for the parking
People were twice as likely to obey the security guard than the milkman/businessman
Situational variables, Uniform, have a powerful impact on obedience

Question 17

Support for situational variables affecting obedience- Cross culture

Answer 17

Cross-cultural replications
Dutch study- 90% of ppts obeyed to saying stressful things in an interview to someone desperate for the job.
When the person giving the orders was not present obedience dropped significantly
Suggests that Milgram’s findings are revelant across cultures as well as genders

Question 18

Limitation of situational variables affecting obedience

Answer 18

Low internal validity
Participants have been aware that the procedure was fake
Orne and Holland, even more likely in his variations because of the manipulation of variables eg. when the experimenter was replaced with a ‘member of the public’
Milgram himself recognised that may ppts may have worked out the truth
Lack of clarity whether findings are valid - demand characteristics etc

Question 19

Outline Milgram’s study into obedience

Answer 19

Baseline procedure to assess obedience levels- later adapted to make comparisons.
40 male volunteers (unaware of the studies aim)
Supposedly drew lots to become teacher or learner- always teacher
Gave small shocks to learners for incorrect answers.
Every ppt delivered all shocks up to 300 volts
12.5% stopped at 300 - 65% continued to the highest level of 450
Concluded that german people ‘aren’t different’

Question 20

Strengths of Milgram’s study into obedience

Answer 20

Replicated in a French documentary
80% of contestants gave the maximum shock of 460 volts to an apparently unconscious man
Their behaviour was almost identical to that of Milgram’s ppts
This supports his findings

Question 21

Limitations of Milgram’s study

Answer 21

Ethical issues- Deception
Thought shocks were real and allocation was random- could have serious consequences for the ppts
But Milgram did offer a debrief
Low internal validity
May not have been testing what he intended, Orne and Holland suggested that ppts were ‘play-acting’ as they saw past the deception- demand characteristics

Question 22

What is the Authoritarian Personality?

Answer 22

A type of personality that Adorno suggested was especially susceptible to obeying authority.
Such individuals are thought to be submissive to those of higher status and dismissive to inferiors.

Question 23

What are the origins of the Authoritarian personality?

Answer 23

Forms in childhood mostly from harsh parenting.
Focus on discipline, expectation of absolute loyalty, impossible high standards and severe criticism of perceived failings.
Parents provide conditional love.
These childhood experiences create resentment and hostility in the child who cannot explain their feelings in fear of punishment.
Fears are displaced onto those they perceive as weaker.

Question 24

Outline Adorno’s study into the Authoritarian personality

Answer 24

Studied more than 2000 middle class white Americans and their unconscious attitudes towards different ethnic groups using measurement scales including the F scale (potential for facism).
Eg. obedience and respect for authority are the most important virutes a child can learn
People with authoritarian leanings identified with 'strong' people and were contemptuous for the 'weak,' they were very conscious of their status

Question 25

Strengths of the Authoritarian Personality as an explanation for obedience

Answer 25

Evidence from Milgram- interviewed a small sample of orginal ppts who had been fully obedient
They completed the F scale and had significantly higher results than a control group
Supports Adorno’s view that obedient people may show characteristics of the Authoritarian personality

Question 26

Limitations of the Authoritarian Personality as an explanation for obedience

Answer 26

Limited explanation- Cannot explain obedient behaviour of the majority.
In pre-war Germany millions of individuals displayed obedient and ant-semitic behaviour. Unlikely that they all possessed this personality. Social identity is much more likely.
Political bias- Only measures the tendency towards an extreme right wing ideology.

Question 27

What is the role of social support in resisting conformity?

Answer 27

When other people present are not conforming.
Eg. Asch’s confederate.
Enables the naive participant to follow their own conscience.
Confederate acts as a ‘model’ of independent behaviour.

Question 28

What is the role of social support in resisting obedience?

Answer 28

If there is another person seen to disobey.
Milgram’s variations:
Obedience dropped from 65% to 10% when the genuine ppt was joined by a disobedient confederate.
Disobedient model challenges the legitimacy of authority figure.

Question 29

What is a Locus of Control?

Answer 29

Refers to the sense we have about what directs events in our lives.

Question 30

What is an external Locus of Control?

Answer 30

They will believe that what happens to them is is outside of their control.

Question 31

What is an internal Locus of Control?

Answer 31

They believe that things that happen to them are are largely controlled by themselves.

Question 32

The role of Locus of Control in resisting social influence

Answer 32

People with a high internal locus of control are more likely to resist pressures to conform of obey as they take responsibility for their actions.

Question 33

Who found that Japanese people conform more easily than Americans and also have a more external locus of control (LoC)?

Answer 33

Moghaddam

Question 34

Strengths of resistance to social influence through social support

Answer 34

Real World Research- Albrecht and Teen Fresh Start USA into pregnant adolescents quitting smoking. Those who had a ‘buddy’ were less likely to continue smoking.

Question 35

Strengths of resistance to social influence through Locus of Control

Answer 35

Research support- Holland’s repeat of Milgram’s baseline study.
Found that 37% of internals did not continue to the highest shock level compared to 23% of externals did not.

Question 36

What is minority influence?

Answer 36

A form of social influence in which a minority of people persuade others to adopt their beliefs, attitudes or behaviours. Leads to internalisation or conversion in which private attitudes and public behaviours are changed.

Question 37

What are the criteria which make minority influence successful?

Answer 37

Consistency, Commitment and Flexibility

Question 38

How could Moscivici’s study be used to support consistency?

Answer 38

Moscivici’s blue/green slide study
Group of 6 asked to view a set of 36 blue slides that varied in intensity and then state whether they were blue or green.
In each group 2 confederates consistenly said they were green.
The true participants gave the same wrong answer on 8.42% of trials.
In a group with inconsistent confederates agreement fell to 1.25%.
This proves that a consistent minority had a greater effect.
But, low avg so rare

Question 39

What is a limitation of minority influence studies (like Asch’s line task)?

Answer 39

Often just as artificial, including Moscovici’s study.
Research is far removed from how minorities attempt to change the majority in real life.
In cases such as jury and political campaigning the outcomes are far more important eg, life or death.
Findings lack external validity.