PAPER 1 - SOCIAL INFLUENCE - obedience

Question 1

what is obedience?

Answer 1

when an individual complies with a direct order from a figure of perceived authority
- person responds in a way they wouldn’t without the order

Question 2

who was selected for Milgram’s study?

Answer 2

40 male volunteers

Question 3

what were the participants told milgram’s study was about?

Answer 3

role of punishment in learning

Question 4

what happened when the accomplice answered the questions wrong?

Answer 4

participant was instructed to give a shock, researcher encouraged him if participant hesitated

Question 5

what were the findings from Milgram’s study?

Answer 5

65% gave shocks to 450 volts
all participants went up to 300 volts
12.5% stopped at 300V

Question 6

what were Milgram’s findings from the interviews after the study?

Answer 6

74% participants learned something of personal importance
84% were glad to participate
1 regretted taking part

Question 7

what conclusions can be made from Milgram’s research?

Answer 7

we have strong tendency to obey authority figures, even against better judgement (even if it inflicts harm on others)

Question 8

how does Milgram’s study lack internal validity?

Answer 8

located in Yale University - questioned whether they would let harm come to participants
Orne & Holland questioned it as they believed there was lack of experimental realism - caused demand characteristics which is how they got results
they didn’t think participants would actually believe in shocks/ investigation

Question 9

what arguments are there defending Milgram’s research and indicating internal validity?

Answer 9

high experimental realism - severe reactions from participants indicate that it felt real
lack of demand characteristics - Milgram disguised the aim with believable alternative aim
didn’t obey questioningly - conflicted participants showing concern

Question 10

how does Milgram’s research lack external validity?

Answer 10

lacks ecological validity due to lack of mundane realism - lab/artificial study, not asked to administer shocks in everyday life
Yale University - may not be able to generalise to other settings
lack of population validity - all male participants so cant generalise results

Question 11

what arguments are there for defending Milgram’s research suggesting that there is external validity?

Answer 11

replication in rundown office still produced obedience - lower than uni setting
field experiment (e.g Hofling & nurses) still demonstrated high levels of obedience and authority in natural setting where harm could be inflicted - possibly does have ecological validity

Question 12

what ethical issues are there for Milgram’s research?

Answer 12

• participants were deceived about what research was about
• lack of informed consent
• loss of self-esteem as a result of their willingness to deliver electric shocks
• failure to protect participants
• caused high stress/seizures

Question 13

what are the situational variables that affect obedience?

Answer 13

• proximity
• location
• uniform

Question 14

what was the affect of proximity on obedience?

Answer 14

teacher & learner in same room - 40% obedience
teacher presses learners hand on shock plate - 30% obedience
remote authority (phone) - 21%

Question 15

what was the effect of location on obedience?

Answer 15

original study - 65% obedience
run down office - 48% obedience

Question 16

what was the study by Bickman on uniform?

Answer 16

• 153 randomly selected pedestrians
• experimenter was dressed in 1 of 3 ways - jacket & tie, milkman uniform, guard uniform
• gave 1 of 3 orders

Question 17

what are the findings of Bickmans study and what do they tell us about the effect of uniform on obedience?

Answer 17

92% complied when given order by experimenter in guard uniform
49% complied in ordinary clothes
- more likely to conform if shown perceived legitimate authority

Question 18

what was the study by Bushman on uniform?

Answer 18

• similar to Bickman, female dressed in either casual or smart clothes asked for a small amount of change for parking meter
• when uniformed 70% complied, 58% when in ordinary clothes

Question 19

what are the 3 explanations of obedience?

Answer 19

• agentic state
• legitimacy of authority
• authoritarian personality (dispositional)

Question 20

which study supports legitimacy of authority?

Answer 20

Hofling et al - nurse study
- a confederate “Dr Smith” instructed the nurse by telephone to give a patient a dose but they would be breaking basic rules if they did so
- a real doctor nearby observed the nurses
- 21/22 nurses complied unhesitatingly

Question 21

what is the autonomous state?

Answer 21

individual is aware of the consequences of their actions and choose to voluntarily behave in particular ways - take responsibility for their behaviour

Question 22

what is the agentic state?

Answer 22

individual sees themselves as an agent of another and carried out their orders without accepting personal responsibility for their actions, they see those giving the orders responsible, not themselves

Question 23

what is the agentic shift?

Answer 23

the switch from operating as an autonomous individual to acting as an agent for another person, happens when there is perception of legitimate authority

Question 24

what evidence is there for agentic state?

Answer 24

• Milgram’s experiment, participants had serious reservations about administering the electric shocks
• when participants were told the experimenter would take full responsibility, they continued to obey

Question 25

what is the authoritarian personality?

Answer 25

those with authoritarian personality are more likely to be obedient and prejudiced, they have these characteristics
- rigid beliefs in conventional values
- intolerance of ambiguity - sees world as black and white
- strict adherence to social rules & hierarchies
- hostility towards other group

Question 26

what is conventionalism?

Answer 26

an adherence to conventional norms and values

Question 27

what is authoritarian aggression?

Answer 27

aggressive feelings towards people who violate norms

Question 28

what is authoritarian submission?

Answer 28

uncritical submissiveness to authority

Question 29

what 3 original personality variables did Altemeyer refine the Authoritarian personality as?

Answer 29

• conventionalism
• authoritarian aggression
• authoritarian submission