Situational Variables (AO3)

Question 1

Who conducted RTS situational variables affecting obedience?

Answer 1

Bickman

Question 2

What type of experiment did Bickman conduct?

Answer 2

A field experiment

Question 3

What did Bickman have confederates do?

Answer 3

• He had them dress in one of three uniforms (milkman, business man, security guard)
• Ask passers-by to give money to pay for parking/to pick up litter

Question 4

What were the findings of Bickman’s study?

Answer 4

Participants were twice as likely to obey the confederate wearing a security uniform than dressed as a business man.

Question 5

How does Bickman’s research support situational variables?

Answer 5

• It supports the power of uniform
• It demonstrates the effect of uniform in a real life setting

Question 6

Milgram’s research into situational variables has __________ as a ___________ sample was used.

Answer 6

• Gender bias
• Androcentric

Question 7

Who is Milgram’s research difficult to generalise to?

Answer 7

Females

Question 8

Why can’t Milgram’s research be generalised to females?

Answer 8

Some research suggests that women are more obedient regardless of situation variables due to gender roles.

Question 9

What study found women to be more obedient? (+ %)

Answer 9

In Sheridan and King’s study where ppts were asked to give electric shocks to puppies and female ppts obeyed 100% of the time while males obeyed 54% of the time.

Question 10

What is an alternative explanation for obedience?

Answer 10

Disposition factors, eg. Authoritarian Personality

Question 11

What do dispositional factors argue in relation to situational factors?

Answer 11

That obedience occurs due to internal factors such as your personality from upbringing in childhood rather than external factors such as uniform.

Question 12

What do disposition factors suggest about situational factors?

Answer 12

That they aren’t the sole reason for obedience.