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Year 12 A-Level Psychology 2023-2025 > Social Influence: Milgram & Situational Variables Affecting Obedience 2024/25 > Flashcards

Social Influence: Milgram & Situational Variables Affecting Obedience 2024/25 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is meant by obedience?

A

Where somebody acts in response to a direct order from a figure of perceived authority

Definitions of named concepts are important as it links with the BP

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2
Q

What was the aim of Milgram’s experiment?

A

To investigate if individuals would obey the orders of an authority figure even if this led to negative consequences

All research aims will begin with the phrase “to investigate”

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3
Q

What research method did Milgram use?

A

Lab experiment

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4
Q

Where did Milgram’s study take place? What makes this study a lab experiment?

Consider the environment it took place in

A
  • Yale university
  • It is an artificial / controlled environment
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5
Q

How many people took part in Milgram’s experiment? Why can it be considered gender biased?

A
  • 40 participants (aged 20-50)
  • They were all male
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6
Q
  • Who is it difficult to generalise Milgram’s study to?
  • Why?
A
  • Difficult to generalise to females
  • Females may have obeyed differently

Remember to link to the BP - obedience

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7
Q

How did Milgram gather his participants?

A

Advert in a newspaper

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8
Q
  • What did the ‘shock level’ begin at?
  • What did it increase by?
  • What was the maximum shock level?
A
  • 15 volts
  • 15 volt increments
  • 450 volts
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9
Q

What happened if the ‘teacher’ refused?

A

The experimenter used a ‘prompt’

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10
Q

What was one prompt used by the experimenter?

A
  • “Please continue.”
  • “The experiment requires that you continue.”
  • “It is absolutely essential that you continue.”
  • “You have no other choice; you must go on.”
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11
Q

How many participants (in %) went to at least 300 volts?

A

100%

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12
Q

How many participants (in %) stopped at 300 volts?

A

12.5%

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13
Q

How many participants (in %) went to 450 volts

A

65%

Obeying to 450v showed high levels of obedience

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14
Q

What 3 situational variables did Milgram investigate?

A
  • Proximity
  • Location
  • Uniform

You must know what these variables are, how they were tested, and what was found

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15
Q

What is meant by proximity in the context of Milgram’s research?

A

How close the ‘teacher’ is to the ‘learner’ or experimenter

Misconception: Milgram varied the proximity to both the ‘victim’ and the ‘experimenter’ - who is the authority figure. This is often forgotten.

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16
Q

How did Milgram investigate proximity?

There are 2 ways in which this was done

A
  1. ‘Teacher’ was required to force the learners hand onto a shock plate (touch proximity)
  2. The experimenter left the room and gave instructions over phone

Students often forget the 2 ways, and instead focus on just one - you need to be aware of both the procedures

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17
Q

What did Milgram find when investigating ‘touch proximity’?

Remember to compare this to the finding from the original experiment

A

Obedience decreased

Dropped from 65% to 30%

18
Q

What did Milgram find when the experiment gave the instructions over the phone?

A

Obedience decreased

Dropped from 65% to 20.5%

19
Q

What did Milgram conclude from investigating proximity?

Remember a conclusion is an overall statement based on the findings

A

The closer an authority figure is, the more obedient an individual will be

20
Q

How did Milgram investigate location?

Remember to compare to the original experiment here

A

Moved the experiment from a prestigous university to a run down office

Make sure to use the word “run-down” - AQA are quite picky about their wording of this

21
Q

What did Milgram find when he invesitgated how location affects obedience?

Remeber to compare to the original experiment here

A

Obedience decreased

Dropped from 65% to 48%

22
Q

Why did obedience decrease when the location was changed?

A

The legitimacy of the experimenters authority was reduced

Remember it is important to know the reason a finding occured, as well as what the finding actually is

23
Q

How did Milgram investigate uniform?

Remember to compare to the original experiment here

A

Changed the experimenters uniform from a grey lab coat to everyday clothes

24
Q

What was found when Milgram investigated uniform?

Remember to compare to the original experiment here

A

Obedience decreased

Dropped from 65% to 20%

25
Q

Why did obedience decrease when the experiments uniform was changed?

A

The legitimacy of the experimenters authority was reduced

Remember it is important to know the reason a finding occured, as well as what the finding actually is

26
Q

What did Milgram conclude from investigating uniform?

A

Uniform acts as a visual symbol of authority

27
Q

What did obedience levels drop from and to when Milgram investigated location?

A

From 65% to 48%

28
Q

What did obedience levels drop from and to when Milgram investigated uniform?

A

From 65% to 20%

29
Q

What did obedience levels drop from and to when Milgram investigated ‘touch proximity’?

A

From 65% to 30%

30
Q

What did obedience levels drop from and to when Milgram had the experimenter give instructions over the phone?

A

From 65% to 20.5%

31
Q

AO3 Focus

What did Bickman do in his research to support Milgram?

A
  • Asked confederates to dress in 3 different outfits (security guard, milkman, and business man)
  • Ask passers-by to give money to pay for parking or pick up litter

This will be the first E of your PEEL

32
Q

AO3 Focus

What did Bickman find in his research to support Milgram?

A

Participants were 2x as likely to obey the security guard than the businessman

This will be the second E of your PEEL

33
Q

AO3 Focus

Bickman’s research supports the power of uniform - why?

This will be the Link in your PEEL

A

Uniform acted as a visual cue for legitimate authority, so obedience increases

This will be the Link in your PEEL

34
Q

AO3 Focus

  • Who is it difficult to generalise all of Milgram’s research into situational variables to?
  • Why?

This will form the first E in your PEEL

A
  • Difficult to generalise to females
  • Females may have obeyed differently

Remember to refer to obedience - this is your BP
This will form the first E in your PEEL

35
Q

AO3 Focus

  • Why may females obey differently to males?
  • What research is there to support this?

For top band, this would need to be included in your PEEL

A
  • Their gender roles may dictate that they be more submissive - and therefore more obedient
  • Sheridan & King; when asked to shock a puppy, females obeyed 100% of the time compared to 54% of males

For top band, this would need to be included in your PEEL

36
Q

AO3 Focus

Why is Milgram’s research into situational variables of obedience being gender biased a weakness?

This would form the link of your PEEL

A

It weakens the external validity of the research as variables may affect obedience in some people more than others

This would form the link of your PEEL

37
Q

AO3 Focus

“Situational variables affecting obedience are an external explanation for obedience”

What is an alternative explanation for obedience?

A

The authoritarian personality

38
Q

AO3 Focus

How is the authoritarian personality as an explanation for obedience different to situational variables?

This would form the first E of your PEEL

A

Authoritarian personality suggests obedience is due to internal characteristics e.g. personality

WHEREAS

Situational variables suggest obedience is due to external factors e.g. the situation / environment

Remember when writing an alternative explanation PEEL, you MUST outline the difference between the two explanations

39
Q

AO3 Focus

Why does the authoritarian personality weaken research into situational variables?

A

Because it shows it is not the only explanation for obedience

This would form the Link of your PEEL

40
Q

AO3 Focus

What 3x PEEL’s would you use to evaluate Milgram’s research into situational variables of obedience?

A
  • Research to support by Bickman
  • Gender bias
  • Alternative explanation of authoritarian personality

Revision tip: Write these down on a post-it note and stick it on the AO3 page of your booklet - it will make revision a bit more ‘bitesize’

Year 12 A-Level Psychology 2023-2025 (43 decks)

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