Social Flashcards
What is obedience?
Following a direct order from someone in Authority even when obeying means going against one’s own moral code
Milgrams (1963)- study of obedience to authority
A01
Aim: investigate if ordinary ppl would follow orders& give an innocent person potentially harmful electric shock
Procedure: newsppr adv. askin take part in memory
£4 insensitive. 40 male pps volunteer. Done in Yale uni. 2 confederates, ‘experimenter’ & ‘learner’. Learner n pps take part, draw lots to choose who would be the teacher- was rigged. 45V shock given to pps to show real. Every time answered wrong teacher administered shock&increased voltage. Verbal prods given to teacher ensure continued. Heart pains&became quiet at 315v. Obedience measured by how far went on shock gen before refusing
Results: all pps gave 300v shock
14 stopped between 300-375
65% went to end of shock gem
Conclusion:
Social setting is a powerful determinant of behaviour. We are socialed to recognise AUthority and react to obedience. Pps found it difficult to say no once obeyed experimenter
Evaluation of Milgram
A03
G: a weakness With Milgram’s experiment is only male participants are use therefore excluding half of the population. For example All participants were American and the research was conducted in Yale UniversityAs a result this cannot be generalised to target population and other cultures as females were not used
R: A strength because it can be easily replicated. This is because the procedure was highly standardised and had controls.For example Each participant was briefed in the same way experienced the same apparatus and verbal praise from the experimenter. Therefore suggest that the research is highly credible in terms of scientific
A: Strength is that it can be used to explain why so many people I’ll beadier in the real world. For example Hitler. Helps to know why so many people obey authority figures tortured them and even when I do against their own moral code. therefore has real life application
V: weakness is that it was unrealistic and not representative of real life behaviour. For example participants do not believe that they were administering real real or harmful electric shocks but we are playing alongBecause of this it is believed that it lacks mundane realism therefore the findings are unrealistic and on representable to relax behaviour.
E: we can solve milligrams experiment is that it has ethical issues.For example the participants were not protected from harm. This is because it was stated that the participants were stressed by the actions of sweating top and Danny and being irritated. Therefore Logans experiment was on ethical
Ethical issues in milgrams
1) deception: pps should be told true aims of study. A03) pps thought it was study of memory n learning. Thought drawing lots were real etc.
2 informed consent: pps should be given info on the nurture of the research n their role. A03) they gave consent to research bout memeory n learning
3) protection from harm: pps should not experience negative physical or psychological effects. A03) somepps did suffer not protected had seizure.
4) condeidentialty: pps Personal info should be protected. A03) no names were mentioned
5) right to withdraw: pps. Should have the right to withdraw from the study of the feel uncomfortable anyway. A03) I’m going to see participant advice and then they could leave at any time he uses subtle prods to make them stay
Variation of milgrams study
Telephonic instructions (exp 7) - proximity
Rundown office block (exp 10)- location
Ordinary man (exp 13) - uniform
Milgram- Exp 7; telephonic instructions
Procedure:
Wanted to test affect of physical distance between the experimenter and the teacher after giving initial instructions to the teacher face-to-face experiment the left room and continue to instruct over the phone
Results:
Found the number of participants willing to give maximum 450 V fell from 65% to 22.5% participant also administered lower shops rather than increased voltage and like to experiment about it
Evaluation of exp 7- telephonic
R: A strength was but it has the library for example highly standardised controls all except one thing varied which means that the other variations were counductef In a fair way and can be replicated
V: Weakness in the validity example love research can be criticised for being unrealistic and representative of real behaviour also can be argued that given shocks is an artificial touch and therefore lacks mundane realism
E: weaknesses fracture move rooms experiment could so don’t have called grounds a distressed cause was deliberate for the prevented them from the right to withdraw and participants with perceived of being told in the study of memory and learning and made it difficult think your full consent
Milgram; Exp 10- rundown office block
Variation looked at the legitimacy of setting love experiment was relocated to run down office block partisuoanrs recruited through mail shot recruitment and paid for the time didassociated from Yale university participants were told that the study been conducted by a private company coming out research for commercial industry
Results: Obedience dropped to 48% including less respectable context of the credentials of the study also reported participants questions on the committee of the company on arrival
Evaluation of exp 10
R: highly standardised and well controlled except the one thing he varied
V: Strength is. Office block adds
to the validity being a real-life setting.
V: Lab research criticised for not representative of real behaviour despite the change in setting argued the task is artificial and lacks mundane realism
E: Weakness and ethics distress caused that was deliberate and will prevent it right to withdraw therefore participants dereceived
Milgram: exp 13- ordinary man
Ordinary man get the orders experiment and leave the room another person who was in the room takes over in charge but without lab coat other person is just going up one switch at a time so is the one giving the orders in this very both of the participants went to the maximum shock level and 16 out of 20 did not seem is giving having a uniform has a role in obedient
Evaluation of exp 13- ordinary man
R: Strength and reliability highly standardised and well controlled throughout only one thing varied can be replicated
V: Ordinary man seen as the participant by the participant and reduced his authority increase in turnover liberty of variation
V: Weakness lab research criticised for being unrealistic and on representative for real behaviour artificial task lacked mundane realism
E: Weakness for ethics stressed card was deliberate verbal prompts prevented from right to withdraw participants deceived
Factors affecting obedience-
Situational factors
1) gradual commitment: Agreeing to do something graduate in small steps once person is committed to minor request becomes difficult to fuse excluding request
2) proximity: Close authority figure higher level of obedience
3) status of authority: Obedience can only be established when I do you figure is perceived to be legitimate
4) personal responsibility: Participant more Badian in situations when personal responsibility is removed and placed onto authority figure
Factors affecting obedience-
Individual differences
1) authoritarian personality- authoritarian personality most common way associated with obedience to authority Adorno put forward idea that someone with authoritarian personality characterised by excessive and blind obedience to authority and lack of tolerance towards anyone who does not have the same respect fr AF
2) empathy- Believe people who have high levels of empathy would be less likely to harm another person at the instructions of AF
3) locus of control- internal locus of control responsible for their own actions less influenced by others….. External locus of control behaviour largely beyond their control due to external forces more influenced by others around them
Factors affecting obedience:
Developmental factors
Gender; Milgram found females are identical to males in the levels of obedience but females anxiety levels are much higher than males and those who were obedient
In conclusion very little evidence of gender difference in obedience levels despite traditional beliefs that female more obedient
2) culture
Individualistic culture- Behave more independently individuals are seen as being most important less likely to obey. Eg. England and America
Collectivistic culture- Do what’s best for society rather than themselves independent and cooperate. Ability to group more like me to be obedient e.g. China and India
Theories or obedience- Agency Theory
Going from autonomous state into an agentic state, where People allow others to direct their actions as the person of the responsibility for the consequences to the person giving the orders acting as agents for authority
Milgram said fr person to enter agentic state;
Person giving orders must be seen as legitimate & authority will accept responsibility for what happens
