Social Influence Flashcards
What did Milgram design a baseline procedure for
To assess obedience levels, the procedure was adapted in later variations and baseline findings used to make comparisons. He wanted to know why Nazis killed so many innocent people and if they were different from others
What was Milgrams baseline procedure
40 American men volunteered to take part at Yale uni supposedly on memory. When each volunteer arrived at lab they were introduced to another participant (confederate) and they drew to see who would be teacher and who would be learner (draw fixed so participant always teacher). There was also a experimenter (confederate) dressed in grey. Teacher couldn’t see learner but could hear him and teacher gave learner shock form 15V-450v every time he made a mistake it increased. Shocks were fake but labelled to suggest they were very dangerous
What would the learner say as shocks got higher and what would experimenter do if participant thought about stopping in Milgram baseline procedure
When teacher got to 300v (intense shock label) learner pounded on wall and gave no response, after 315v it was silence for rest of the procedure. If the teacher thought of stopping experimenter would say one of 4 prods
What were the 4 prods from experimenter in milgrams baseline procedure
1-please continue 2-experiment requires you to continue 3-it’s absolutely essential you continue 4-you have no choice, you must go on
What were milgrams baseline findings
Every participant delivered shock up to 300v, 12.5% stopped at 300v and 65% continued to highest shock level- were fully obedient
What qualitative data did milgram collect in his baseline findings s
Observations like participants showed extreme tension, many seen sweating, trembling, stuttering and biting their lips, groaning and digging fingernails into their hands and 3 even had seizures
What did Milgram do before his baseline study and what did this show
He asked 14 psychology students to predict participants behaviour and they estimated no more than 3% would be fully obedient (450v). Shows findings unexpected as students underestimated how obedient people are
What did Milgram do after his baseline study
All participants were debriefed and assured their behaviour was normal, they were all sent a follow up questionnaire and 84% said they were half they had participated
What conclusions did Milgram makes after his baseline procedure
Milgram concluded German people aren’t different, the American participants in his study were willing to obey orders even when they may harm another person, he suspected there were certain factors in situations that encourage obedience, so decided to conduct further studies to investigate these
What did Milgram do after conducting his baseline procedure
He carried out a large number of variations in order to consider situational variables that may lead to more or less obedience
What was the first variation Milgram did of his baseline
Proximity
How did Milgram investigate proximity as a situational variable for obedience
Teacher could hear but no see the learner in baseline but in proximity variation teacher and learner were in same room
What were Milgram findings in proximity variation
Obedience rate dropped from 65% to 40%
What was milgrams touch proximity variation
Teacher had to force learners hand into electroshock plate when he refused to answer a question
What was milgrams touch proximity findings
Obedience dropped from 65% to 30%
What was Milgrams remote instruction variation (proximity)
Experimenter left room and gave teacher instructions by telephone
What were remote instruction variation findings
Obedience reduced to 20.5% and participants frequently pretended to give shock
What were milgrams explanations for his 3 proximity variation studies
Decreased proximity allows people to psychologically distance themselves from consequences of their actions. Eg. When teacher and learner physically separated the teacher was less aware of harm they were causing to another person so more obedient (in baseline procedure)
What was the second variation Milgram looked at
Location
How did Milgram look at location as a situational variable in obedience and what were the findings
Milgram conducted variation in run down office block rather than prestigious Yale university and in this Locarno obedience fell to 47.5%
What was milgrams explanations for the effect of location on obedience
University environment gave Milgrams study legitimacy and authority, participants were more obedient in this location as they perceived that experimenter shared this legitimacy and that obedience was expected. However, obedience still quite high in office block as participants perceived scientific nature of procedure
What was the 3rd variation Milgram looked at
Uniform
How did Milgram look at uniform as a situational variable in obedience
In baseline experimenter wore lab coat as symbol of authority, in one variation experimenter called away due to a phone call at start of procedure and role of experimenter taken over by a member of public (confederate) in everyday clothes rather than lab coat
What were milgrams uniform variation findings
Obedience rate dropped to 20%, lowest of all his variations
What was milgrams explanation for uniform effecting obedience
Uniform encourages obedience as they are widely recognised symbols of authority. We accept someone in a uniform is entitled to expect obedience as their authority is legitimate and someone without a uniform has less right to expect our obedience
What is a strength of milgrams variation studies
Strength is other studies show situational variables effect obedience. Field experiment in New York by Bickman had 3 confederates dressed in different outfits-jacket and tie, milkman and security guard. Confederates individually stood in street and asked passers by to perform tasks like picking up litter. People twice as likely to obey assistant dressed as security guard than one dressed in jacket and tie. Supports view that situational variable like uniform has powerful effect on obedience
What is a further strength of Milgrams situational variable studies
Strength is his findings been replicated in other cultures. Meeus used more realistic procedure than Milgram to study obedience in Dutch people. Participants ordered to say stressful things in an interview to someone (confederate) who’s desperate for a job. 90% obeyed and Meeus also replicated milgrams proximity findings-when person giving orders wasn’t present obedience fell rapidly. Suggest milgrams findings of obedience aren’t limited to just Americans or males but valid for all
What is a counterpoint to milgrams situational variables having cross culture support
Replications of milgrams study aren’t very cross culture. Smith and Bond identified just 2 replications between 1968-85 in non western cultures. Other countries involved aren’t that culturally different form USA. Eg. They have similar notions about role of authority. So, may not be appropriate to conclude Milgrams findings apply to people in all or most cultures
What is a limitation of Milgrams situational variable studies
Limitation is participants may be aware procedure was fake. Orne and Holland mad criticism of Milgrams baseline study and they said it’s even more likely in variation study as there is more manipulation of variables. Good example is variation where experimenter replaced by member of public, even Milgram recognised this situation was so contrived even participants may have worked out truth. So in all of Milgram studies it’s unclear if findings genuinely due to operations of obedience or as participants swe through deception and played along w demand characteristics
Where did milgrams initial interest in obedience spark from
Trail of Eichmann in 1961 for war crimes, he was in charge of Nazi death camps and his defence was he was only obeying orders
What did trail of Eichmann lead Milgram to propose
Obedience to destructive authority occurs as person doesn’t take responsibility for their actions instead they believe they are acting for someone else as their ‘agent’
What is an ‘agent’ in terms of Milgram and obedience
Someone who acts for or in place of another person, an agent isn’t an unfeeling puppet as they experience anxiety when they realise what there doing is wrong but feel powerless to disobey
What do agentic state
A mental state where we feel no responsibility for our behaviours as we believe we are acting for an authority figure as their agent
What is the opposite of agentic state
Autonomous state
What is autonomous state
A person in this state is free to behave according to their own principles and feels a sense of responsibility for their own actions
What is the shift from autonomy to agency called
Agentic shift
When did Milgram suggest agentic shift occurs
When a person perceives someone else as an authority figure
What classes as an authority figure
Someone with greater power as they have higher position in a social hierarchy. In most socia groups when one person is in charge others defer to legitimate authority of this person and shift from autonomy to agency
What did Milgram wonder after many of his participants said they wanted to stop but felt powerless doing so
He wondered why they remained in agentic state
What did Milgram say was the reason his participants remained in agentic state
Binding factors- aspects of the situation that allow the person to ignore or minimise damaging effect of their behaviour and thus reduce the moral strain they are feeling
What binding factors did Milgram observe in his participants
Participants used many strategies to blame shift like blaming the victim “he was stupid to volunteer” to deny the damage they were causing the victim
How are most societies structured
In a hierarchical way
What does it mean that most societies structured in hierarchal way
People in certain positions hold responsibility over the rest of us
What are examples of authority figures
Parents, teachers, police officers
