Situational variables affecting obedience Flashcards
What are the three variables that affect obedience?
- Proximity
- Location
- Uniform
What does proximity refer to?
The physical closeness of an authority figure to the person they are giving an order to.
How is close proximity thought to affect pressure to obey?
Increases the pressure
What did Milgram find when he made the researcher leave the room and give the orders over the phone?
The obedience rate dropped from 65% to 21%
How else did Milgram test proximity alongside the researcher?
He tested the proximity of the learner as well as the researcher.
What was the obedience rate in milgrams original study?
65%
What was the obedience rate when the learner and the teacher were in the same room?
40%
What does ‘location’ refer to?
The place an order is issued; the status or prestige associated with the location.
Where was Milgram’s original study conducted?
Yale University
Was the location of milgram’s original study prestigious?
Yes
Where did milgram re-do the study to test the effect of location?
In a run down office.
What was the obedience rate when milgram conducted the study in a run down office?
48%
What does ‘uniform’ refer to?
The specific outfit worn by an authority figure that is symbolic of their authority.
Who conducted research into the effect of uniform?
Bickman (1974)
What did Bickman do to test the effect of uniform?
He asked passers by in NYC to lend money to a stranger for a parking meter but changed how he dressed.
What was the obedience rate when the stranger was wearing street clothes in Bickmans study?
49%
What was the obedience rate when the stranger was wearing a security guard’s uniform in bickmans study?
92%
Who’s research could you use to evaluate uniform as a situational variable affecting obedience?
Bushman (1998)
What did Bushman (1998) find?
When a female researcher was dressed in a police-style uniform, obedience was 72% when she was dressed as a business executive was 48%, and as a beggar obedience rate was 52%
Why did people claim they obeyed in Bushman (1998)?
They claimed they obeyed the woman in uniform refuse she appeared to have authority, supporting the idea that uniform affects obedience.
