situational Factors in obedience Flashcards
What are the 3 key situational Variables Milgram introduced which affect obedience.
1.Proximity of learner/authority figure
2.Location of Experiment
3.Unifom of Authority figure
Explain the Bickman (1974) The role of uniforms study ?
3 male researchers gave orders to randomly selected pedestrians of New York. The researchers were dressed diffrently either; A suit and tie, a milkman’s uniform or a security guards uniform. Each researcher asked pedestrians to carry out tasks such as picking up litter etc. Bickman found participants were twice as likely to obey the security guard as opposed to the civillian or milkman. Bickman concluded the presence of uniform influenced the decision to obey.
explain the hoffling Nurses (1966) study
Hoffling carried out a field experiment in which 22 nurses recieved a phone call from fictional ‘Dr Smith’instructing them to give a patient 20mg of a made up drug. Hoffling placed a placebo(suagr pill) in medicine cabinet with label that stated a maximum dosage of 10mg. This meant that if Nurses obeyed they would be exceeding maximum daily dosage and proceeding with medication without meeting Dr Smith. 21 out of 22 nurses complied without hesitation and 11 didnt notice dosage label. High levels of obedience can occur in a hospital, also suggest role of an authority figure in hospitals are very powerful.
Explain the Jones Town massacre/ situationnal factors included which increased obedience
Jim Jones set up a cult in rural America and required his memebers to live in a commune, sharing their income ttogethere. Jones moved his people to the middle of Guyana, South America. Four years later nearly 1000 of his followers drank lethal chemicals or were shot to death by their friends, following orders from Jim Jones. Parents killed their children and themsleves believing they would enter a paradise.
1.proximity-Jones lives with his followers
2.Location-Temple in south America
3.Uniform- Jones had a signature look wheras his followers wore plain white.
