Socialš ā¢ Factors Affecting Obedience + Studies Flashcards
What is locus of control?
Locus of control is a personās belief about whether they have control over the events in their life, or if external forces are in control
What is are the two types of locus of control?
Internal LOC or external LOC
What is an internal locus of control?
When people take greater responsibilty for their actions as they believe they are in control of their own actions and what happens to them
What is an external locus of control?
When people take less responsiblity their actions and believe that what happens to them is goverened by external factors/ āchanceā
Externals are more likely to show ____________
Externals are more likely to show obedience
Internals are more likely to show ____________
Internals are more likely to show disobedience
Explain Millerās study (1975) on the effect of locus of control on obedience
- Demonstrated through study where a high or low status experiementor instructed participants to grasp and electric wire.
- Participants previously identifed to be externals displayed increased levels of obedience towards the high status experimentor compared to the low status experimentor
- Paricipants previously identifed to be internals had the same levels of obedience regardless of the status of the experimentor giving orders
What is an authoritarian personality?
An authoritarian personality is a personality type that is characterized by unquestioning obedience and respect for authority figures
What is believed to catalyse an authoritarain personality from a younger age?
Its theorized that a harsh parenting style can lead children to develop personality traits asociated with authoritarianism
What are some traits for authoritarianism in?
- toughness
- destructiveness
- cynicism
What is cynicism?
The feeling of distrust that something isnt going to work out well
How is authoritarianism measured?
Through the F-scale
What is a study than can advocate for the effect an authoritarian personality can have on obediene?
Elms and Milgram (1966)
Explain Elms and Milgramās Study (1966) on authoritarianism and the F-scale
- F-scale used on participants from Milgramās study
- 20 obedient participants and 20 disobedient participants chosen
- Disobedient participants scored lower on the f-scale
- Obedient participants scored higher on the f-scale and displayed characterisitcs of authoritarianism such as the absence of a father figure
- Inferring obedience is realted to the personality traits/ characterisitcs of authoritarianism - solidifying belief that people with authoritarian personalites are more obedient
How is it belived that authoritarianism can be avoided?
Through unconditional love as a child from a parent. Its shown that children brought up in this way scored lower on the F-scale and were more likely to show resistance/ defiance to orders they perceive to be wrong/ destructive unlike authoritarian personalites who obey almost all orders
What is the study that advocates for the theory that females are more obedient than males?
Sheridan & Kings (1972): Electricution of puppies
What is the study that advocates for the theory that males and females are equally as obedient (gender doesnt have an effect) (+ explain)?
- Milgramās study, Variation #8: Female Participants
- Procedure identical to original study - just female participants
- Obedience levels remained at 65% - identical to that of the males
- Inferring that gender doesnt have an effect on obedience
Explain (+ resuluts of) Sheridan & Kingsā study on the obedience of females compared to males
- Participants ordered to administer real electric shocks to live puppies
- Conducted on men and women
- Saggering 100% of female participants were fully obedient
- Compared to only 54% of the males
- Although many of the women were hysterically sobbing through the study
How did the males in Sheridan & Kingsā experiment compare to the males in Milgramās original experiment?
In Sheridan & Kingsā the males were more defiant when asked to shock a puppy compared to Milgramās males who were asked to shock a human being
What do the two studies on genders effect on obedience having different conclusions infer about genders effect on obedience?
That perhaps social factors/ societal norms come into play when genders feel the need to obey
What are 3 situational factors that can contribute to rates of obedience?
- Proximity
- Behaviour of others
- Legitimacy
(Similar to social impact theorysā strength and immediacy)
Explain āproximityā in terms on its effect on obedience
When the distance between an authority figure (source) and a partcipant (target) is increased, obedience levels reduce - This is displayed in social impact theory by LatenƩ through immediacy
Explain the ābehaviour of othersā in terms on its effect on obedience
Exposure to role models who are disobedient tends to decrease obedience levels in others - a role model of defiance
Explain ālegitimacyā in terms on its effect on obedience
Reducing the percieved legicimacy/ social status of an authority figure or source by, for example, altering their clothes, can reduce levels of obedience of targets - this also applys to the legitimacy of the venue of an experiment
What study can advocate for the effect of legitimacy on obedience? (+ explain)
- Milgramās study Variation #10: Institutional Context
- Changes legitimacy of experimentor and venue of experiment
- Shows effect on obedience with levels dropping from 65% in original experiment to 45.5% in this variation
What study can advocate for the effect of empathy on obedience?
- Milgramās study Variation #5: Empathetic Variation
- Heart condition of learner
- Voice lines of complaint about heart at 150V
- People either refused to carry on past this point - showing empathy or felt obliged to contiune all the way to 450V
What are individualist cultures?
Cultures that value self- reliance an independence = āIā
What are collectivist cultures?
Cultures that value loyalty, cooperation and interdependence (he dependence of two or more people or things on each other) = āweā
Give examples of individualist cultures
- USA
- Northern Europe
Give examples of collectivist cultures
- China
- Brazil
In terms of obedience, what do we expect from individualist cultures?
Due to their valued place on independence we expect individualist cultures to be less obedient
In terms of obedience, what do we expect from collectivist cultures?
Due to the obligation and sense of duty in their cultures, we expect collectivist cultures to be more obedient
