situation affecting obedience

Question 1

social impact theories ideas about obedience

Answer 1

Social impact theory suggests that one situational factor affecting obedience is the strength of the source relative to the target.
If the source has greater strength than the target then greater obedience will be displayed.

Question 2

legitimacy - P1, A01

Answer 2

One source of strength is legitimacy of authority. Legitimacy can affect obedience as suggested in social impact theory.
Reducing the perceived legitimacy of the authority figure, through altering his or her mode of dress such as a uniform or ordinary clothes as a uniform is a symbol of legitimacy .
E.g., altering his or her mode of dress can reduce obedience.
Similarly, reducing the prestige or status of the venue also leads to reduction in obedience levels.

Question 3

Hoftling

Answer 3

One strength of using legitimacy is study evidence from Hoftling
Hoftling arranged for an unknown doctor to telephone 22 nurses and ask them to administer an overdose of a drug that was not on the ward list
95% of the nurses began administering the drug, but were prevented
Therefore, this 95% obedience levels show that when an authority figure is perceived as highly legitimate individuals will obey no matter what the circumstances are

Question 4

FURTHERMORE

Answer 4

furthermore, there is study evidence from Sedikides and Jackson showed that when the authority figure was no longer present, obedience dropped significantly
obedience was 58% when the confederate was dressed as a zoo keeper and 35% when wearing a T-shirt
therefore, this means that there is study evidence to show that when an authroity figure is wearing a uniform obedience levels will be higher than when they are wearing no uniform

Question 5

Proximity and immediacy - P2, A01

Answer 5

Proximity and immediacy can also affect obedience and dissent levels.
When the distance between the authority figure and participant is increased, obedience reduces, as in the telephonic instruction variation of Milgram’s study. Latane used the term immediacy in social impact theory to refer to closeness of the target in terms of space and time.
Physical or psychological barriers to communication will affect immediacy – these are sometimes referred to as buffers.

Question 6

Strength - Milgram telephonic instructions P2, A01

Answer 6

One strength of using proximity as a factor affecting obedience is study evidence from experiment 7 of Milgram’s variation
During variation 7, the instructions were given to the participants over the phone which reduced the proximity of the authority figure as they were no longer in the same room as them
In the original study Milgram found level of 65% full obedience and in variation 7 obedience levels dropped to 22.5%
Therefore, this is study evidence to show that the proximity of the authority figure affects obedience as there was a decrease in obedience levels of 42.5% when Milgram gave instructions over the phone to reduce proximity

Question 7

Number - P3, A01

Answer 7

the number of targets is relative to the source
if there is one authority figure and many targets, it will reduce the impact so obedience levels will decrease

Question 8

Application - P4, A03

Answer 8

One strength of using situation as an explanation for differences in obedience levels is that it can be applicable in the everyday world to improve compliance with countryside rules.
In the countryside there is no one to enforce rules (like Milgram’s absent experimenter condition) so some people will disobey.
Granmann er al found that giving information about reasons behind the rules increased the likelihood that participants felt they would obey which provides immediacy and strength.
Therefore, this is an important application of the work on situational factors and obedience which may help protect sites of natural beauty in the outside world.