situational variables - explanations of obedience (milgram) Flashcards
situational variables
features of immediate physical and social environment which may influence a person’s behaviour
proximity
physical closeness or distance of an authority figure to the person they are giving an order to
also refers to the physical closeness of the Teacher to the Learner in Milgram’s study)
location
the place where an order is issued
relevant factor that influences obedience is the status of prestige associated with the location
uniform
people in positions of authority often have a specific uniform that is symbolic to their authority
findings
teacher & learner in same room: 40%
teacher forces hand: 30%
phone orders: 20.5%
rundown office: 47.5%
member of public: 20%
conclusions
(decreased) proximity: allows people to psychologically distance themselves from
location: prestigious location -> legitimacy and authority
uniform: widely recognised as symbols of authority
research support
strength
bickman
carried out study with 3 different uniforms - jacket and tie, milkman’s outfit, security guard
did things like ask passer-bys to pick up litter or handing over a coin for parking meter
field study - produces natural behaviour
people were twice as likely to obey the person dressed as a security guard than the person in a suit and tie
shows public’s behaviour changes based on uniform
cross-cultural replications
strength
meeus and raaijmaker (netherlands)
asked pps to say stressful things in job interviews with someone who is desperate for a job
more realistic situation than milgram’s
also replicated milgram’s study on proximity and found that when the person giving orders was not present, obedience decreased
increases reliability of milgram’s study
low internal validity
orne and holland
pointed out extra manipulation of variables
changing variables drastically (ie using a member of the public) may cause demand characteristics as pps may figure out the purpose of the study
decreases validity
