Social Influence - Obedience

Question 1

What was the procedure in Milgram’s study?

Answer 1

The P and a confederate drew from a hat to see who got learner and teacher (confederate always got learner). The ps were led to believe that the experiment was one of memory. They had to tell the learner a list of words pairs and the learner repeat them back. When the learner got it wrong they had to shock them starting at 15v and moving up in increments of 15 to 450v. The confederate would start to express verbal discomfort at 300-315v and then said/did nothing afterwards. If the teacher asked to stop they would be proded by the experimenter.

Question 2

How many participants were there in Milgram’s experiment?

Answer 2

40.

Question 3

What were the findings of Milgram’s study?

Answer 3

• All 40ps went to 300v.
• 65% administered the max of 450v.
• 35% managed to disobey the pressure of the experiment.

Question 4

Who did Milgram ask before the study and what did he ask them?

Answer 4

Milgram asked psychiatrists, college students and colleagues to predict how long the Ps would last before refusing to continue. They predicted that very few would go beyond 150v and that 1 in 1,000 would administer the full 450v.

Question 5

What situational factors effect obedience?

Answer 5

• Proximity.
• Location.
• Uniform.

Question 6

How does location effect obedience?

Answer 6

The average obedience rate at Yale University = 65%.
The average obedience rate at a run down office building at Bridgeport, Connecticut = 48%.

The obedience level dropped but it was not statistically significant.

Question 7

How does proximity effect obedience?

Answer 7

• Telling the p to administer the shocks via the phone = 21% obedience.
• Same room as learner = 40%.
• When the experimenter left the room = 21% went to max shock level. Some kept administering the same shock while telling the experiment they followed the correct procedure.
• When the teacher had to force the learners hand on the plate = 30%.

Question 8

How does uniform effect obedience?

Answer 8

When the experimenter left the room and was replaced by another ‘participant’ in ordinary clothes = 20% obedience.

Bickman’s study also shows the effect uniform can have.

Question 9

Describe the procedure of Bickman’s study.

Answer 9

• Carried out on 153 randomly occurring Ps in New York.
• Exeprimenter either dressed as a security guard, milkman or wore ordinary clothes.
• They asked the public to either pick up a bag; give someone money for a parking meter; stand on the side of a bus stop which said ‘no standing’.

Question 10

What were the findings in Bickman’s study?

Answer 10

76% obedience for security guard.
47% for milkman.
30% for street/normal clothes.

Question 11

What type of study was Bickman’s study?

Answer 11

A field experiment.

Question 12

Evaluate Milgram’s study and obedience.

Answer 12

• One of Milgram’s research assistants, Murata, divided the Ps into doubters (those who believed the shocks were fake) and believers. He found that the believers were more likely to disobey the experimenter and give low intensity shocks therefore suggesting the reality of destructive obedience causes people to disobey an authority figure.
• The findings have temporal validity (Blass’ correlation analysis).
• Reserve Police Battalion 101 (Mandel) most of the men carried out the orders even when given a choice not to.

Question 13

What is the autonomous state?

Answer 13

People behave voluntarily and are in control of their actions. They take responsibility for the consequences of their actions.

Question 14

What is the agentic state?

Answer 14

People perceive themselves as being under the control of others. They behave as though they are agents of others who they perceive as being responsible for the consequences of their actions.

Question 15

What is the term used when you switch for the autonomous state to the agentic state?

Answer 15

The agentic shift.

Question 16

What is a legitimate authorities figure and what effect do they have on the wider population?

Answer 16

They have a role that is defined by society e.g. police officers, teachers. We generally feel obliged to obey these people because we trust their credentials and, in most cases, assume they know what they are doing or that they are right.

People tend to accept the definition of a situation as defined by a legitimate authority figure.

Question 17

What is the relationship between self-image and the agentic state?

Answer 17

When tempted to do as requested and shock the Lerner, the p may assess the consequences of this action for his or her self-image and refrain. When the p has moved into the agentic state this evaluation concern is no longer relevant as they view their actions as not their responsibility so they no longer reflect their self-image.

Question 18

What are binding factors in the agentic state?

Answer 18

In all social situations their is specific social etiquette that play a part in regulating our behaviour. When the experiment has started the p has already made a commitment to the experimenter and the p fears that it would appear rude and arrogant if he breaks off this commitment. Despite these emotions seeming insignificant to the pain the p is causing, it helps bind them to obedience.

Question 19

What is the relationship between legitimate authority and institution?

Answer 19

When the authority figures commands are of a potentially harmful or destructive form then for them to be perceived as legitimate an institution like a university or the military is required. It does not necessarily have to be a reputable institution, evident from the relatively high obedience level in MIlgram’s run down office building study. This shows that the category of institution (e.g. scientific laboratory) is more important than its relative status within that category (as it is still a scientific laboratory).

Question 20

What is a good example of the agentic shift taking place in real life?

Answer 20

After the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam war, Calley and his soldiers used the defence that they were just following orders.

Question 21

Evaluate the agentic state as an explanation for obedience.

Answer 21

• Lifton found German doctors at Auschwitz became more vile and inhumane overtime, Staub suggests that transition was due to them carrying out acts of evil over a long time, this changes the way that individuals think and behave.
• People could just be plain cruel.
• Explains real life obedience.