Social Influence - Booklet 2 Flashcards
Milgram's research, Variables affecting obedience, Explanations for obedience, Dispositional explanation
define obedience
the change of an individuals behaviour to comply with a demand by a authority figure
what is a dispositional explanation of obedience
the cause of behaviour results from the persons own personality or characteristics
what was the rationale behind milgrams study
to test the ‘germans are different’ hypothesis
describe the germans are different hypothesis
-germans have a certain character deficit
-readiness to obey people in authority regardless of the act
-due to nazis high obedience rates
aim of milgrams study
investigate whether participants would obey an order from an authority figure regardless of the potential consequences
how much were participants offered to take part in milgrams study
4 dollars for one hour
what is a situational explanation of obedience
the behaviour would result from the situation a person was in
how many participants were in milgrams study
40
where did milgrams study take place
yale university
what did the pair in milgrams study consist of
a teacher and a learner
describe the procedure for milgrams study
-fixed draw for participant to be the teacher
-watched learner taken into a room with electrodes attached to arms
-teacher and researcher next door with electric shock generator
-participant told to read out pairs of words that learner had to remember
-given electric shock if wrong or didnt answer
how did milgram increase internal validity in his study
-experimenter wore uniform
-watched learner taken into room with electrodes
what were the voltages of the shock generator
15V to 375V to 450V
what did the learner shout at 180V
that he could not stand the pain
what did the learner do at 300V
begged to be released
what did the learner do at 315V
silence
what happened if the participant asked for advice from the experimenter
response was one of 4 prods
what was prod 1
please continue
what was prod 2
the experiment requires that you continue
what was prod 3
it is absolutely essential that you continue
what was prod 4
you have no other choice, you must go on
what result did milgram expect from his study
2% of people would shock to the highest level, but most would quit early on
actual results of milgrams experiment
-all participants shocked up to 300V
-65% shocked up to 450V
evidence of milgrams study being unethical
-advertised as a study of memory so participants deceived
-money in advertisement clouded rights to withdraw
-believed shocks were real
who played the role of the learner in milgrams study
confederates
explain milgrams study being unethical
-undermines the value of the research
-hard to replicate when they are conducted in ethical circumstances
counter argument to milgrams study being unethical
-deception helps avoid demand characteristics as results would be inaccurate if behaviour changed
-debriefed participants after meaning had rights to withdraw
evidence of milgrams sample being unrepresentative
-all male
-all from same area in America
-all aged 20-50
explain milgrams sample being unrepresentative
-lacks population validity
-cannot be generalised
-beta bias due to lack of gender diversity
-cultural bias
explain research that suggests milgrams sample was unrepresentative as women behave differently
-sheridan and kings researches showed that 54% of males delivered lethal shocks to a puppy
-100% of women shocked
evidence of milgrams use of a lab experiment meaning the results lack ecological validity
-artificial environment
-task was artificial
-lacks mundane realism
explain milgrams lab experiment meaning the results lack ecological validity
-results less likely to be able to be generalised to real life situations
counterargument to milgrams lab experiment meaning the results lack ecological validity
-hoffling studied nurses on a hospital ward and obedience to unjustified demands from doctors was 21/22
-results can be generalised to real life situations
-reflects authority relationships as focused on the experimenter and participants
-results can be replicated
evidence of other research suggesting milgrams study lacks internal validity
-the participants guessed that there weren’t real shocks
-gina Perrys research listened to tapes of milgrams participants and they expressed doubts about the shocks
explain research suggesting milgrams study lacks internal validity
-milgram was not testing what he intended to as participants would change their behaviour and be more or less likely to obey
counterargument to milgrams study lacking internal validity
-milgram reported 70% of his participants believed the shocks were genuine
-sheridan and kings experiment had no doubts
why were factors in milgrams study changed systematically
-to be measurable
-to establish cause and effect
percentage of obedience in change of location to a run down office
47.5%
percentage of obedience when experimenter gave orders by phone
20.5%
percentage of obedience when experimenter was played by a member of the public
20%
how did milgram test variations to his study
-with the same conditions as the original procedure
how did milgram investigate proximity
-had the experimenter give orders by phone to decrease the proximity
evidence to contradict milgrams findings of proximity
-hofflings nurse study in a real life hospital
-orders given by a doctors phone call with scripted instructions
-control group without the doctors phone call
-majority obeyed to doctors orders even when over the phone
how did milgram investigate location
-moved location to a run down office
how did milgram investigate uniform
-had the experimenter played by a member of the public
evidence to support milgrams findings when investigating uniform
-bickmans field experiment in New York
-3 male actors with a milkman, security guard and ordinary clothes
-actors asked people to pick up a bag, give someone money and stand under a no standing sign
-showed uniform increases obedience
result of bickmans study
76% obedience to guard
47% obedience to milkman
30% obedience to pedestrian
define agentic state
a mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure as their agent
effects of an agentic state
-deny responsibility for their actions
-freed from demands of their consciences
define an autonomous state
-free to behave according to their own principles
-so feel responsibility for their actions
describe an agentic shift
-the shift from autonomy to agency
-when a person perceives someone else as a figure of authority
-as the person has more social power due to their place in a social hierarchy
define legitimacy of authority
-an explanation for obedience which suggests that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us
-this authority is legitimate by the individuals position of power in a social hierarchy
consequences of legitimacy of authority
-some are granted the power to punish others as people are willing to give up independence and hand over control of their behaviour
describe how legitimacy of authority can differ
-depending on the context and environment
-uniform can portray authority
evidence for agentic state in milgrams study
-the use of prods such as ‘the experimenter requires you to continue’ caused an agentic shift from autonomous to agentic state
-the participant can deny responsibility as they have followed orders from an authority figure
-the experimenter had legitimate authority
evidence for legitimate authority in milgrams study
-the experimenter was in the corner of the room
-the experimenter wore uniform
-the experimenter had more social power due to perceived place in social hierachy
-participants obeyed out of fear of punishment
example of alternative explanations of obedience other than agentic state and legitimacy of authority
-proximity can increase obedience as when experimenter was changed by milgram to be over the phone, obedience decreased to 20.5%
-location can affect obedience as when milgram moved the study to a run down office, obedience decreased to 47.5% -location makes it feel more official
define a dispositional explanation
-any explanation of behaviour that highlights the importance of the individuals personality
-such explanations are often contrasted with situational explanations
define an authoritarian personality
-a type of personality that adorno argued was especially susceptible to obeying people in authority
-such individuals are also thought to be submissive to those of higher status and dismissive of inferiors
aim of the hofling nurse study
-investigate obedience to authority in a real world setting, specifically a hospital
-extent of obedience even if risking harm to a patient
procedure of hofling nurse study
-field experiment with 22 night nurses
-dr smith phones nurses at a psych hospital and asked them to check the medicine cabinet for astroten
-the nurses see the maximum dosage is 10mg
-the doctor tells them to administer 20mg to mr jones in a hurry and says he will sign authorisation form later
-drug was placebo
-observer stopped study when the nurse got the medication and approached the patient
which hospital rules would the hofling nurse study have broken
-instructions shouldnt be given over the phone
-they gave double the max dose
-medication was unauthorised
when did the phone call end in the hofling nurse study
when they:
-obeyed
-resisted
-went for advice
-got upset
-could not find medication
-lasted over 10 mins
findings of the hofling nurse study
-21/22 nurses obeyed and were about to administer medication
-1 nurse questioned identity of dr smith
-11 who went to administer were unaware of the dosage
-10 knew the dosage and assumed it was safe
-31/33 in a control group said they would not comply
conclusion of hofling nurse study
-people are unwilling to question supposed authority even when they have good reason
-when nurses interviewed they said some doctors give orders by phone and would get frustrated if they were not completed
-social pressure from imbalance of power could lead to putting others at risk
what did adorno believe
-obedience was caused by the personality of the individual
-so did research on the causes, traits and opinions of those with an authoritarian personality
describe the origins of the authoritarian personality
-childhood experience
-overbearing parents,
strong discipline,
high expectations,
conditional love,
expectations of loyalty
how does childhood experience cause an authoritarian personality
-resentment and hostility is created in the child that they cannot express due to fear of reprisal
-the fears are displaced onto those they see as weaker (scapegoating) which causes a dislike of those socially inferior
what was the aim of adornos research
investigate the causes of the obedient personality
describe the procedure of adornos research
-2000 white middle class americans
-measured their unconscious attitudes towards other racial groups
-used several scales including the f scale to measure authoritarian personality
-scale had fixed responses of disagree to agree strongly
examples from the f scale
-obedience and respect for authority are the most important virtues children should learn
-there is hardly anything lower than a person who does not feel a great love, gratitude and respect for his parents
describe the findings from adornos research
-people with authoritarian leanings identified with strong people and were contemptuous of the weak
-they were conscious of their own and others status
-fixed and distinct stereotypes
-strong positive correlation between authoritarianism and prejudice
conclusion from adornos research
people with an authoritarian personality have a tendency to be especially obedient to authority
AO3 research support for the dispositional explanation
-milgram interviewed a small sample of the most obedient participants
-scored highly on the f scale
AO3 counter for research support for the dispositional explanation
-this is only a correlation between 2 measured variables
-does not show authoritarian personality is a cause of obedience
-may be a third factor as low education is associated with both
AO3 methodological problems with the research into the dispositional explanation
-based on flawed methodology
-all statements worded in the same direction
-questionnaires can be time consuming and confusing for participants
-people can agree due to acquiesce bias
-so it only measures the tendency to agree with everything
AO3 alternative theories to the dispositional explanation which explain why a majority would obey
-pre war germany had racist, obedient and anti semitic behaviour
-social identity is a better explanation
-germans identified with the nazi state
-it is unlikely that many people had an authoritarian personality
