Social Area Assumptions 1- Milgram/Bocchairo

Question 1

Social area principles and assumptions

Answer 1

-The social area looks at understanding human behaviour in a social context, looking at the factors that lead us to behave in a given way due to the presence of others.
-Social psychologists state that our behaviour is influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others.

Question 2

Milgram background

Answer 2

-Based off of the ‘Germans are different’ theory, from WWII, proving that the Germans were so brutal because of their obedience, not because they wanted to.
-Milgram’s theory of the agentic state, in the presence of an authority figure, and the authoritative state, which we enter when there’s no authority figure.

Question 3

Milgram’s aim

Answer 3

To investigate the level of obedience participants would show obedience to an authority figure who told them to administer electric shocks to an innocent person

Question 4

Milgram’s sample

Answer 4

40 males (aged 20-50) all from New Haven and middle class workers.

Question 5

Milgram’s results

Answer 5

100% of p’s- 300V
26/50- 450V
-Participants were sweating, trembling, stuttering and groaning.
-Comments made ‘I can’t go on with this’.

Question 6

Milgram’s conclusion

Answer 6

-An important factor influencing behaviour is the situation they’re in.
-A professional-looking authority figure will also make people obey as they’re afraid of the consequences of disobeying.

Question 7

Milgram’s connection to the key theme

Answer 7

WWHF
-Link to the key theme of responses to authority

Question 8

Milgram’s connection to the key area

Answer 8

-State the principles and key assumptions of Social Psychology.
-Link the finding to Social Psychology, using x2 buzz words.

Question 9

Bocchiaro Background

Answer 9

-Looked at Milgram’s response and wanted to look at how people disobey as well as whistle-blow.

Question 10

Bocchiaro Aim

Answer 10

-To investigate the rates of obedience, disobedience, and whistle-blowing, where it was clear the instructions were ethically wrong.
-To investigate the accuracy of people’s estimates of obedience, disobedience, and whistle-blowing.
-To investigate the dispositional factors in obedience, disobedience, and whistle-blowing.

Question 11

Bocchiaro Sample

Answer 11

Pilot study (92 students, 8 pilot studies), main experiment (149 undergraduates, 11 removed)

Question 12

Results

Answer 12

-76.5% obeyed
-14.1% disobeyed
-9.4% whistle-blew
-Religious people were more likely to whistle-blow than non religious people

Question 13

Conclusion

Answer 13

-Behaving morally is difficult for individuals even when this path is the easiest to take.
Can be caused by an authority figure.
-Disobedience and whistleblowing are psychologically, socially and economically demanding

Question 14

Bocchiaro relation to the key theme

Answer 14

-WWHF
-Connection to the key response of DB OB and WB to authority figures.