Social Influence - Explanations for obedience

Question 1

Describe Milgram’s sampling method and sample group for his study.

Answer 1

40 American male participants aged 20-50 from various occupational backgrounds.
They were told that the study concerned the role of punishment in learning.
Volunteer sampling from ad.

Question 2

How were the participants deceived in Milgram’s study?

Answer 2

Told study was about the role of punishment in learning.
Told there was another participant.
Told there was an equal chance of becoming learner or teacher.
Thought learner was actually being shocked.
Implied learner was being harmed (pounding on wall).

Question 3

What signs of distress by participants were seen in Milgram’s study?

Answer 3

Sweating
Trembling
Stuttering
Biting lip
Groaning
Digging fingernails into flesh
Nervous laughing fit
3 subjects had seizures
"I refuse to take responsibility"

Question 4

What were the results of Milgram’s study?

Answer 4

All participants went to at least 300 volts.

65% of participants went to the end and gave the full 450 volts.

Question 5

What were the conclusions of Milgram’s study?

Answer 5

Under certain circumstances, most people will obey orders that go against their conscience, showing blind obedience.

Question 6

Give examples of support for Milgram’s study having high internal validity.

Answer 6

Milgram reported 75% of participants though the shocks were genuine.
Sheridan and King - 54% of males and 100% of females delivered “fatal” shocks.
French show Game of Death - 80% gave maximum shock.

Question 7

Give examples of criticisms for Milgram’s study having high internal validity.

Answer 7

Orne and Holland argued participants behaved as they did because they were “play acting” and didn’t believe in the set up.
Gina Perry reported that only about half of them believed that the shocks were real after listening to tapes. Participants respond to demand characteristics.

Question 8

Give examples of criticisms of Milgram’s study.

Answer 8

Cannot be generalised

Low ecological validity

Question 9

What are the 3 situational variables of Milgram’s variation studies?

Answer 9

Location
Proximity
Uniform

Question 10

What were the percentages of full obedience of all the changes in situational variables in Milgram’s variation studies?

Answer 10

Baseline study - 65%
Run-down office - 47.5%
Teacher and learner in same room - 40%
Teacher forces learners hand onto plate - 30%
Experimenter gave orders by phone - 20.5%
Experimenter dressed in casual clothes - 20%

Question 11

What is legitimacy of authority?

Answer 11

Undisputed credibility of those higher than us in the hierarchy. We are happy to give up some of our control.

Question 12

What are the strengths of legitimacy of authority?

Answer 12

Supported by evidence
A film of Milgram’s study was shown to participants
Asked who was responsible for the harm.
The participants blamed the experimenter, because of the idea of legitimacy of authority, the experimenter was at the top of the hierarchy.

Question 13

What is a limitation of legitimacy of authority?

Answer 13

It cannot explain why only some people obey
It is a situational explanation, all should be similarly affected in the situation.
35% of Milgram’s participants disobeyed.

Question 14

What is agentic state?

Answer 14

Following orders from an authority figure while feeling no personal responsibility.

Question 15

What is a limitation of agentic state?

Answer 15

Incomplete explanation: The My Lai soldiers went beyond their orders by raping the women, they were not just blindly obeying.

Question 16

What is a strength of agentic state?

Answer 16

Milgram’s studies support agentic state. When participants resisted, the experimenter said ‘I’m responsible’ and then the participant often went through the rest of the procedure with no objections.

Question 17

What is agentic shift?

Answer 17

Moving from an autonomous state to an agentic state.