Situational variables Flashcards
In Milgram's experiment
What is a situational variable?
Milgram found several factor he believed to be influential on the level of obedience shown by participants.
What are the situational variable for Milgram’s study?
Proximity, Location and Uniform
What is proximity?
Physical closeness or distance of an authority figure to the person they are giving an order to
What is location?
The place where the order is issued. The relevant factor that influences obedience is the status or prestige associated with the location
What is uniform?
People in positions of authority often have a specific outfit that is symbolic of their authority. This indicates to the rest of us who is entitled to expect our obedience
What was the proximity variation of Milgram’s experiment?
Teacher and learner were in the same room. Obedience level dropped from 60% to 40%
What is the touch proximity variation of Milgram’s experiment?
The teacher had to force the learners hand onto a metal plate if they refused to answer a question. Obedience rate dropped to 30%
What is the remote instruction variation of Milgram’s experiment?
The experimenter left the room and gave instructions via telephone. Obedience reduced to 20.5%. Participants also pretended to give shocks or gave weaker ones than were ordered
What was the location variation of Milgram’s experiment?
The study was conducted in a run down building rather than a university. Obedience fell to 47.5%
What was the uniform variation of Milgram’s experiment?
The experimenter was called away because of an issues and was replaced by an “ordinary member of the public” in everyday clothes. The obedience rate dropped to 20%
