Social Influence Flashcards
What is obedience?
Obedience is compliance to an order, request, the law etc. from a person or persons in authority.
What does the agentic state propose?
The agentic state proposes that people obey because they see themselves as an agent of the authority figure and no longer feel personally responsible for their actions.
What are the two social states mentioned in the context of obedience?
- Agentic State
- Autonomous State
What is moral strain in the context of the agentic state?
Moral strain is the discomfort experienced when obeying orders that conflict with one’s own conscience.
What are binding factors?
Binding factors are reasons people give themselves to justify their ongoing obedience to an authority figure, even when they feel uncomfortable.
Fill in the blank: The _______ personality is characterized by respect for order and hierarchy.
Authoritarian
What is the F-scale used for?
The F-scale is a questionnaire developed by Adorno to measure authoritarian personality traits.
True or False: The legitimacy of authority suggests that we are more likely to obey an authority figure if we perceive them to have the power to tell us what to do.
True
What did Hofling’s (1966) study demonstrate?
Hofling’s study demonstrated that a high percentage (95%) of nurses obeyed a doctor’s orders, even when they were inappropriate.
What is the significance of uniform in the context of obedience?
Uniform can enhance the perception of authority and thus increase obedience.
What is the main criticism of the agentic state explanation?
The agentic state fails to explain why some individuals in the same situation do not obey.
What was the aim of Milgram’s study?
To test the ‘Germans are different’ hypothesis.
What is the relationship between strict parenting and obedience according to the authoritarian personality theory?
There is a correlation, but causation cannot be established.
What does the term ‘autonomous state’ refer to?
The autonomous state refers to being aware of consequences and responsibilities, acting independently, and guided by one’s own conscience.
Fill in the blank: According to the agentic state, an individual is on a kind of obedience _______.
auto-pilot
What did Blass and Schmitt (2001) find regarding obedience?
They found that students believed the fault of obedient individuals lay with the experimenter, suggesting individuals become agents of authority.
What are examples of psychological defense mechanisms used to cope with moral strain?
- Repression
- Denial
What are situational variables that affect obedience?
- Uniform
- Location
- Proximity
What is the main focus of dispositional explanations for obedience?
Dispositional explanations focus on personality characteristics that make some individuals more likely to obey than others.
How do individuals typically perceive authority figures in a social hierarchy?
Individuals tend to recognize that they are lower in the social hierarchy than authority figures and therefore are more likely to obey.
What does the term ‘diffusion of responsibility’ refer to?
The diffusion of responsibility refers to a situation where individuals feel less responsible for their actions when part of a group.
What is the significance of the study by Bickman (1974)?
Bickman’s study illustrated how uniform can impact obedience behavior.
True or False: The authoritarian personality theory provides a causative link between parenting style and obedience.
False
What is the dispositional explanation in the context of obedience?
It suggests that specific individuals may or may not obey based on their personal characteristics and beliefs.
This explanation improves the validity and credibility of the theory.
What was the aim of Milgram’s 1963 study?
To test the ‘Germans are different’ hypothesis regarding obedience in Nazi Germany.
How many participants were involved in Milgram’s study?
40 white American males.
What roles did participants play in Milgram’s study?
Participants played the role of the ‘teacher’ and a confederate played the ‘learner’.
What did participants believe the study was about?
The effect of punishment on learning.
What was the increment of shocks administered for each wrong answer?
15 volts.
At what voltage did the learner stop shouting in Milgram’s study?
315 volts.
What were the prods used by the experimenter to encourage participants to continue?
- Please continue.
- The experiment requires you to continue.
- It is absolutely essential that you continue.
- You have no other choice but to continue.
What percentage of participants administered the maximum shock of 450 volts?
65%.
What visible signs of distress did most participants show?
- Nervously laughing
- Sweating
- Shaking
What were the three variables Milgram investigated in his study?
- Proximity
- Location
- Uniform
How did obedience change when the teacher and learner were in the same room?
Obedience fell from 65% to 40%.
What was the effect of changing the location of the study to a run-down office block?
Obedience fell to 47.5%.
What happened to obedience when the experimenter wore ordinary clothes instead of a lab coat?
Obedience fell dramatically from 65% to 20%.
What critiques were made about Milgram’s sample?
It was ethnocentric and androcentric, lacking population validity.
What did Orne and Holland claim about Milgram’s experimental design?
It lacked ‘experimental realism’ and strong ecological validity.
What criticism was made regarding volunteer participants in Milgram’s study?
Volunteers may exhibit a ‘volunteer personality’ and not act naturally.
What was the alternative research conducted by Sheridan and King?
They replicated Milgram’s findings using puppies.
What task were participants instructed to perform in the Sheridan and King study?
Give a puppy increasingly severe electric shocks for mistakes.
What was the deception involved in the Sheridan and King study?
The shocks were real but not fatal; the puppy was trained to yelp.
What percentage of male and female participants believed they delivered a fatal shock in the Sheridan and King study?
- 54% of male participants
- 100% of female participants
What is one exam question related to the authoritarian personality as an explanation for obedience?
Discuss the authoritarian personality as an explanation for obedience (8 – AO1-3 AO3-5).
Outline one alternative explanation for obedience (3 – AO1-3).
Outline the authoritarian personality as an explanation of obedience (4 – AO1-4).
