SI4. Explanations For Obedience

Question 1

Agentic State

Answer 1

• person believes the responsibility for their actions is adopted by someone else
• Agentic Shift: change from Autonomic -> Agentic State
• agency theory suggests people are more likely to obey when in an Agentic State, as they believe they won’t face consequences for their actions; as they believe they are acting on behalf of their agent

Question 2

Legitimacy of Authority

Answer 2

• authority’s ‘credibility’
• higher likelihood to obey the higher the authority’s ‘credibilty’ is
• explains why students listen to teachers more, compared to random strangers
• e.g. Milgram’s ‘scientist’ was perceived as knowledgeable and responsible (expert authority), increasing obedience; researcher held highest position with social hierarchy of experiment

Question 3

Situational Factors

Answer 3

uniform, location, proximity

Question 4

Uniform

Answer 4

• more likely to obey someone in uniform, as their status is elevated (compared to a plain-clothed stranger) and greater sense of legitimacy
• e.g. obedience higher when experimenter in Milgram’s study wore a lab coat

Question 5

Location

Answer 5

• more likely to obey someone in a location linked to higher status and legitimacy
• Milgram’s study conducted in Yale (a prestigious) university, so obedience was greater than a variation carried out in a run-down office. Prestigious nature demands obedience

Question 6

Proximity

Answer 6

• closer proximity to authority figure, higher obedience
• increases pressure to obey, decreases pressure to resist
• e.g. Milgram: obedience 62.5% with researcher in the same room; 20% if researcher over the phone

Question 7

+ Eval: Agentic State and Legitimacy of Authority are valid explanations

Answer 7

• can be used to explain real life examples
• e.g. My Lai Massacres (US Soldiers killed thousands of civilians and pillaged Vietnamese villages)
• soldiers were obeying General’s orders, so shifted responsibility onto generals
• authority justified due to General’s higher position within social hierarchy of army

Question 8

• Eval: Milgram’s Variations lacked validity

Answer 8

• e.g. swapping uniformed experimenter with civilian
• considered to be ‘too obvious’ a substitution
• therefore results affected by demand characteristics, as participants would’ve understood reason for substitution and acted accordingly