Situational variables affecting obedience Flashcards
Proximity, location, uniform
What are the three situational variables affecting obedience?
- Proximity
- Location
- Uniform
How does proximity affect obedience?
-Original Study: teacher and learner were in different room, the teacher (real ppt) could hear the learner (confederate) but not see him.
- Variations:
1. Teacher and learner were in same room- obedience dropped to 40%
2. Teacher had to force the learners hand on to the shock plate to give them the electric shock- obedience dropped to 30%
3. The experimenter left the room and gave instructions over the phone- obedience dropped to 20.5%
What did obedience rate drop to when the teacher and learner were in the same room?
40%
What did obedience drop to when the teacher had to force the learners hand onto the electric shock plate?
30%
What did obedience drop to when the experimenter left the room and gave instructions over the phone?
20.5%
How does location affect obedience?
Original study: conducted at the prestigious Yale University
Variation: experiment was conducted in a run-down office block - obedience fell to 47.5%
Why did obedience rates decrease when the experiment was conducted in a run down office block?
The run down office block did not hold the same legitimacy and authority as Yale University. Participants were more obedient at Yale because they believed the experimenter shared the legitimacy of the institution (Yale) and obedience was expected. This was not the case at the run down office block
How does uniform affect obedience?
Original study: experimenter wore a grey lab coat as a symbol of his authority.
Variation: the experimenter was taken over by an ‘ordinary member of the public’ (confederate) in everyday clothes rather than a lab coat. Obedience rates dropped to 20%
How does Bickman’s study support the situational variable of uniform?
P: supporting research- Bickman
E: Bickman- field experiment in New York, three confederates dressed in different outfits- jacket and tie, milkman’s outfit, security guards uniform. They individually stood in the street and asked passers by to perform tasks such as picking up litter
E: People were twice as likely to obey the confederate dressed as a security guard than the one in the jacket and tie.
L: therefore adding validity to the theory that uniform does influence obedience
Why has this explanation been criticised as an “alibi for bad behaviour”?
P: Alibi behaviour
E/E: This theory supports the idea that the situation a person finds themselves in is mainly responsible for their obedience. It is offensive to survivors of the Holocaust to suggest that Nazis were simply obeying orders and were victims themselves due to the situation they found themselves in.
L: Therefore limiting the explanation for obedience.
Limitation: ignores internal factors affecting obedience
P: Ignores internal factors
E/E: Research by Adorno has shown that people with an authoritarian personality are more likely to show blind obedience to those whom they perceive to be higher in status than themselves
L: This reduces the validity of the situational variables explanation of obedience.
