Social Influence - Obedience

Question 1

Define the term obedience to authority

Answer 1

This is a type of social influence where somebody acts in response to a direct order from a figure with perceived authority. The person who receives the order may also respond in a way that they would have not done without the other.

Question 2

Describe the aim of Milgram’s original research

Answer 2

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

Question 3

What method did Milgram use in his research?

Answer 3

Laboratory experiment at Yale University

Question 4

What was Milgram’s sample?

Answer 4

40 American males aged 20 to 50

Question 5

What was the procedure in Milgram’s research?

Answer 5

-Milgram placed an advert in a newspaper see volunteers for an experiment and they would be paid $4.50
-once the participant arrived at university were introduced to a confederate disguised as another participant and then they drew lots which were rigged and the real participant was always the teacher and the Confederate was the learner
-The teacher’s job was to administrate a learning task and deliver electric shocks to the learner in another room if the learner got a question wrong
-The shocks began at 15 V and increased by 15 every time until they got to 450 V
-The experiment to use prompts if the teacher refused

Question 6

What were the prompts in Milgram’s original research?

Answer 6

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

Question 7

What were the findings in Milgram’s research?

Answer 7

All participants went to at least 300 V with only 12.5% stopping at that point. 65% of participants continue to the maximum 450 V showing high levels of obedience..

Question 8

What is the conclusion of Milgram’s research?

Answer 8

Ordinary people are obedient to authority when asked to behave in an inhumane way. It’s not necessarily evil people who commit evil crimes but ordinary people who are just obeying orders.

Question 9

Describe proximity as a situational variable affecting obedience

Answer 9

-in Milgram’s original experiment the teacher could not see the learner, only hear them and obedience for 65%
-Obedience rates decreased when the teacher was required to force the learners hand onto the electric shock plate (touch proximity) obedience dropped to 30%
-Obedience rates decrease when the experimental left the room and gave instructions to the teacher by telephone. In this variation obedience fall to 20.5% which suggests that the closer authority figure is to an individual, the more obedient that individual will be.

Question 10

Describe location as a situational variable affecting obedience

Answer 10

-The original experiment was conducted the prestigious university (Yale University)
-Obedience rates decrease when the location was changed to a rundown office in a rundown part of town from 65% at Yale University to 48% in the rundown office.
-this is because when the experiment was conducting a rundown office, the amount of perceived legitimate authority of the experimenter was reduced

Question 11

Describe power of uniform as a situational variable affecting obedience

Answer 11

-in Milgram’s experiment the researcher wore a grey lab coat which gave him an ‘air’ of authority
-obedience rates decrease in one variation of the study when the experimenter wore everyday clothes, it dropped to 20%
-This suggests that uniform does act as a strong visual authority symbol and a cue to act in an obedient manner, and that when not in uniform the perceived legitimate authority of the experimenter was reduced.

Question 12

Give 3 key points for evaluating situational variables affecting obedience

Answer 12

-RTS- Bickman, dressed confederates in 3 different uniforms to investigate the power of uniform
-Milgram’s research is gender bias
(Sheridan and King suggests females may obey differently)
- dispositional factors (internal) so weakens research as it isn’t the sole explanation

Question 13

What did Bickman conduct research into

Answer 13

Investigating the power of uniform

Question 14

How did Bickman investigate the power of uniform

Answer 14

-field experiment
-dressed confederates in three different outfits (milk man, security guard and business man)
-asked passers by to pick up litter or pay for parking
-found ppts were twice as likely to obey the security guard than the businessman
- support power of uniform as uniform acts a visual cue

Question 15

Describe Sheridan and Kings research

Answer 15

-ordered ppts to give electric shocks to puppies
-females obeyed 100% of the time
-Males obey 54% of the time
Situational variables affect obedience in some people more than others

Question 16

What are the situational variables affecting obedience?

Answer 16

Proximity
Location
Power of uniform

Question 17

What are the two explanations of obedience

Answer 17

Legitimacy of authority figure
Agentic state

Question 18

When are authority figures seen as legitimate

Answer 18

If
-it is agreed by society
-it is ingrained in us from a young age
-we believe they know what they are doing and accept their credentials

Question 19

Describe legitimacy of authority as an explanation for obedience

Answer 19

-obedience increases when a person perceived an authority figure has legitimate authority e.g. parents, teachers and police officers
-The authority is legitimate because:
1. It is agreed by society.
2. We accept the credentials.
3. We believe they know what they’re doing.

Question 20

Describe agentic state as an explanation for obedience

Answer 20

-Obedience increases when a person is an agentic state
-when they receive an order from an authority figure an agentic shift occurs when they move from an autonomous to an agentic state

Question 21

When does an agentic shift occur?

Answer 21

When a person receives an order from an authority figure they move from being in a state where they take personal responsibility for the actions (autonomous state) to a state with the acting on behalf of an authority figure (agentic state)

Question 22

What is an autonomous state

Answer 22

When a person takes personal responsibility for their actions

Question 23

What happens when a person is in an agentic state

Answer 23

• loss of personal responsibility
  -No longer feel guilt
  -Believe they aren’t accountable for their actions
  -more likely to obey

Question 24

Give the key points for evaluating the explanations of obedience

Answer 24

-RTS- during Milgram’s experiment ppts asked who was responsible and then continued delivering electric shocks (supports AS)
-RTS-Hofling, nurses deliver a lethal dose over the phone (supports AS and LOA)
-RTS-Hoflings research has practical applications to reduce this
-alternative explanation- dispositional factors such as authoritarian personality

Question 25

Describe Hoflings research

Answer 25

-research into AS/LOA
-an unknown doctor ordered nurses to give a lethal dose of a drug over the phone
-nurses knew they shouldn’t take orders over the phone
-21/22 obeyed
-they felt the doctor had more authority so blindly obeyed
-increases validity

Question 26

What is the strength of Hoflings research

Answer 26

-it has practical applications
-led to training nurses to reduce the likelihood of engaging in blind obedience and so they feel more confident to challenge the legitimate authority of doctors

Question 27

What is the dispositional explanation for obedience?

Answer 27

The authoritarian personality

Question 28

Describe the authoritarian personality as a dispositional explanation for obedience

Answer 28

-a collection of personality traits
-develop from strict parenting during an individuals childhood e.g extremely strict discipline, makes them more obedient to authority figures
-personality traits include extreme respect for perceived authority and they see them as superior
-often have black and white thinking

Question 29

How is authoritarianism measured?

Answer 29

Using the F-scale questionnaire
Those who scored highly are more obedient and showed the characteristics of a person with the authoritarian personality

Question 30

How would you answer a 6 marker on the authoritarian personality

Answer 30

Outline all the information for six marks

Question 31

How would you answer a three marker on the authoritarian personality?

Answer 31

-Outline that it is an internal explanation
-personality traits individual shows
-example
-also state how it’s measured

Question 32

Give the key points for evaluating the authoritarian personality as a dispositional explanation of obedience

Answer 32

-RTS= Milgram and Elms, higher levels of obedience in those who went up to 450V
HOWEVER the obedient participants in Milgram’s research had a number characteristics not typical in someone who has the authoritarian personality
-limited explanation (Nazis)
-an alternative is situational factors