Situational Factors and Obedience Flashcards
What is meant by a situational factor?
A situational factor is part of the environment that may influence the results of the experiment
Describe Proximity as a situational factor
How close the participant (teacher) was to the learner. When they were in the same room a foot and a half away, obedience went to 40%. When the teacher had to place the learners hand on a shock plate obedience dropped to 30%. If the experimenter left the room and gave orders via telephone obedience dropped to 21%
Describe location as a situational factor
The original experiment took place at Yale Uni, which is highly prestigious. When this swapped to a run-down office block obedience dropped to 48%
Describe the power of uniform as a situational factor
The experimenter was wearing the uniform of a lab scientist (white coat). When the role of experimenter was changed by a ‘member of the public’ (a confederate) Obedience rates dropped to 20%
Who researched into the power of uniform?
Bushman (1988)
Describe Bushman’s research
A female researcher told people on the street to give money to a male researcher for an expired parking meter. She was wearing one of the following outfits and the following obedience rates were observed
Police Uniform = 72%
Businessman = 48%
Beggar = 52%
Strengths of Situational factors
Support from Bushman which shows the role of uniform in an everyday situation
Milgram’s experiment variations also show the role of situational factors when compared with the original experiment
Milgram’s replications were controlled experiments with a standardised procedure
Limitations of Situational Factors
Other factors may have played a role such as gender or culture of participants
Several ethical and methodological issues with Milgram’s research
Some would question the temporal validity of the findings as the same results may not be obtained today as from the 1960s/70s
Mandel (1998) suggests that it does not really represent Nazi Germany as the killing of jews was undertaken in close proximity without protest from the guards
