paper 1 -2022 Flashcards
define obedience
a form of social influence in which an individual follows a direct order.
the person issuing the order is usually a figure of authority, who had the power to punish when obedient behavior is not forthcoming
what did Milgram aim to study
obedience
to understand why such a high population obeyed hitler
Milgrams baseline procedures
40 American men - volunteer sample -though they were randomly given a role
pair with a confederates who acted as the learner within the experiment
instructed by an experimenter (grey lab coat) - shock learner when they answer wrong
volts increased after each shock - 15volts to 450 volts
told the confederate had heart condition before beginning
confederate never shocked
what % did Milgram psychology student predict would go to 450volts
3% - 450volts
14 psychology students
what % of participants ended up going to 450volts
12.5% - 300volts (5 participants)
65% - 450 volts
what type of findings did Milgram find
65% - 450volts
qualitative date - interview + observation
observation = signs of extreme tension, sweating, biting lip, groaning (3 seizures)
interviews = 84% said they were glad they participated
what did Milgram conclude
German people in ww2 - weren’t different
a strength of Milgram’s study - research support
replicated in French documentary - made about reality tv
participants believed that were on a game show’s pilot episode
paid to give fake shocks to other participants who were actors
80% went to max shock of 450volts to an “unconscious” man
behavior identical to Milgram’s participants - sweating nail biting
therefore result are not due to special circumstances
weakness - Milgram - low internal validity
may not test what was intended
75% participants believed shocks were real (Milgram stated)
psychologists argue that participants believe they behaved that way as they were play acting
when listening to Milgram’s tapes - only half believed it was real and 2/3 of participants were disobedient
therefore participants were responding to demand characteristics
counterpoint to low internal validity - Milgram evaluation
a study conducted like Milgram’s - but puppies were shocked instead
gave real shocks
54% of male students 100% female students delivered the shock - when they though it was fatal
this suggests that Milgram’s finding are correct as people behave the same way when shocks are real
weakness - Milgram - ethical implications
deception - lied about it being a real shock, participant was a confederate, heart condition
participant harm - 3 seizures and clear signs of distress
social sensitivity
define situational variables
features of the immediate physical and social environment which may influence a person’s behavior.
what situational variables did Milgram study
proximity
uniform
location
why did Milgram study situational variables
to see if they led to more or less obedience
situational variable - proximity results
teacher and learner in the same room = obedience dropped form 65% to 40%
touch proximity - move their hand onto the electric plate = dropped to 30%
remote instruction variation - experimenter in another room, instructed through telephone
= obedience dropped to 20.5% and participants pretended to give shocks
situational variable - proximity explanation
decreased proximity allows people to psychologically distance themselves from the consequences of their actions.
e.g. less aware of the harm they course the learner when they were separated
situational variable - location findings
obedience dropped to 47.5% from 65%
when the experiment was conducted in a rundown office building instead of at Yale university
situational variable - location explanation
prestigious university gave legitimacy and authority to Milgram’s study
so more likely to obey in this location as they saw the experimenter as sharing this legitimate and thought obedience was expected
however obedience in the office was still high in the office block because of the perceived scientific nature of the procedure
situational variable - uniform findings
baseline = experimenters wore a grey lab coat as a symbol of authority
experimenter called away because of an inconvenient telephone call at the start of the experiment - replaces with an ordinary member of the public (confederate in normal clothes)
obedience dropped to the lowest rate of 20%
situational variable - uniform explanation
uniforms encourage obedience - widely recognized as symbols of authority
we accept that someone in an uniform is entitled to obedience as their authority is legitimate
someone without an uniform is less right to expect our obedience
strength of situational variables - research support
other studies have demonstrated the influence of situational variable on obedience.
field experiment in NYC - had 3 confederate dress up 1 milkman 1 in suit and 1 security guard
all 3 confederates stood in street and ask individual to pick up litter/ put a coin in parking meters.
people x2 likely to help the security guard than the one in the suit
therefore support situational variables, such as uniform, effect obedience
strength of situational explanation - cross-cultural replications
other psychologists create a more realistic version of Milgram’s experiment on Dutch participants. - participant ordered to say stressful things to (confederate) someone desperate for a job.
90% of participants obeyed and also replicated Milgram’s findings concerning proximity. - obedience decreased when the person giving instructions wasn’t present
this suggest that the findings are not limited to American males, but is valid across cultures and genders
limitation of situational variables - low internal validity
participants may have been aware that the procedures were fake.
psychologists have criticized Milgram’s baseline procedures - but suggest that it is even more likely in the variables because of the extra manipulation of variables e.g. when a member of the public replaced the experimenter.
and even Milgram recognized that this situation is so contrived that some participants may have worked out the truth.
therefore in all of Milgram’s studies it is unclear if the findings are because of obedience or demand characteristics and play acting
define agentic state
a mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behavior because we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure. this frees us from the demands of our conscience and allows us to obey even a destructive authority figure.