situational variables Flashcards
the variables changed
proximity
location
uniform
proximity
Baseline- teacher could hear but not see learner. (65%)
Same room- 40%
Teacher forces learners hands- 30%
Telephone instructions- 20.5%
Explanation- decreased proximity allows people to psychologically distance themselves from the consequences of their actions.
location
Alt explanation of findings
Another limitation is that Milgram’s conclusions about blind obedience may not be justified. The ppt obeyed when the experimenter said the first three prods but at the fourth all disobeyed. According to social identity theory, they identified the experiment with the scientific aims of the research. With the fourth prod they identified more with the victim, when told to obey the authority figure they refused. This shows that SIT may provide a more valid interpretation of Milgram’s findings.
Ethical issues.
Milgram deceived his ppt. allocation was random but it was fixed. Deception of the electric shocks. No fully informed consent. Psycho harm bc they didn’t know what the experiment would involve.
Situational variables More or less obedience ? Proximity? Baseline- teacher could hear but not see learner. Same room- 40% Teacher forces learners hands- 30% Telephone instructions- 20.5% Explanation- decreased proximity allows people to psychologically distance themselves from the consequences of their actions. Location? Baseline- yale uni Rundown office- 47.5% Explanation- uni gives legitimacy and authority. Still high in office bc ppt perceived the scientific nature of the procedure
uniform
Baseline- grey lab coat
Ordinary member of the public- 20%
Explanation- uniform encourages obedience because widely recognised symbols of authority. Someone in uniform is entitled to expect obedience bc authority is legitimate.
eva list
cross culture
low internal validity
danger of situational perspective
control of variables
cross culture
Done in other cultures ie Spain- 90% obedience suggesting the findings on obedience isn’t just limited to Americans or men but valid across culture and women
But the replications are not very cross-culture. Other countries are culturally similar to us ie similar notions of authority. Maybe the findings can’t be applied to all people in all cultures.
low internal validity
Ppt may be aware that the procedure was faked. Even more likely because of the extra manipulation of variables. Eg when the experimenter was replaced with another confederate. It is unclear whether the findings were genuinely due to obedience or bc the ppt saw through the deception and just responded to demand characteristics.
danger of situational perception
Offers an excuse for evil behavior. Offensive to survivors of the holocaust to suggest that nazis were just obeying orders. Implying that they were victims of situational factors beyond their control.
control of variables
It is possible for other researchers to replication the study.
