situational variables Flashcards
what d situational variables form?
an external explanation
what are seen as affecting obedience levels ?
features of an environment (aspects of a situation)
what are the 3 situational variables ?
- proximity
- location
- uniform
which 2 situational variables are investigated by Milgram ?
proximity and location
what is meant by proximity ?
- how aware of the consequences you are
what was the proximity in milgrams original study ?
the learner and the teacher were in 2 different rooms so the teacher couldn’t see the learner in pain
what was the proximity in milgram’s further studies ?
- the teacher held the learners hand down onto a fake shock plate in the same room
what happened when the proximity got closer ?
it influenced the p’s levels of obedience as the teacher could see the learners distress so the obedience declined to 62.5% to 40%
because the teacher had an increased realisation of their actions and the situation they were in was influencing their actions
In Milgram’s original study, what was the location ?
Yale University, an ivy league, high status institution
what will happen to obedience levels if you move to a location that adds to the perceived legitimacy of an authority figure and why ?
obedience levels will be higher
- because usually in institutionalised settings, obedience to authority figures is instilled
what location did Milgram use in his further studies ?
he peformed the study in an office block in a run down part of town
What were the obedience rates in further studies in a different location ? and why?
obedience rates dropped from 62.5% to 47.5%
- the legitimacy of the authority figure was reduced
which variable did Bickman study ?
uniform
what did Bickman do ?
he got a research assisstant to dress up in 3 costumes and ordered people on a New york street to pick up rubbish, loan a coin to a stranger or move away from a bus stop,
what percentage would obey his research assisstant if he was dressed in civilian clothes ?
19%
what percentage would obey his assisstant if he was dressed as a milk man ?
14%
what percentage would obey his assistant if he was dressed in a security guard uniform?
38%
in a variation of the study what did Bickman find ? and what does this suggest?
he found people would obey the guard when he walked away after giving the order, which suggests they obeyed not because they felt forced to do so but because they believed he had legitimate authority.
