Social Influence : Obedience

Question 1

Milgram - aim

Answer 1

To measure the extent to which people are willing to obey a figure of authority who asks them to do something which conflicts with their personal conscience

Question 2

What is obedience

Answer 2

A form of social influence in which an individual follows a direct order. The person issuing the order is usually a Figure of authority, who has the power to punish when obedient behaviour is not forthcoming.

Question 3

Method for Milgram’s experiments

Answer 3

Recruited 40 male participants through newspaper adverts to take part in ‘memory study’.
A confederate called mr Wallace was always the ‘learner’ and true participant was always the ‘teacher’.
Experimenter given orders and wore white lab coat
Learners strapped to a chair in another room and wired with electrodes
Teacher asked to administer an electric shock (15v-450v) to the learner when they gave incorrect answer. If teacher felt unsure to continue the experimenter used a sequence of standardised prods such as “the experiment requires that you continue”

Question 4

Results of Milgram’s experiment

Answer 4

65% of participants continued to the maximum 450v.
All participants 300 volts
Participants showed signs of extreme tension (sweat, tremble, stutter) ans three had full blown uncontrollable seizures.

Question 5

Conclusion of Milgram’s environment

Answer 5

Ordinary people are astonishingly obedient to authority even when asked to behave in an inhumane manner. This suggests it is not evil people who commit atrocities but ordinary people who are just obeying orders.

Question 6

Ethical issues evaluation of Milgram’s experiment PEEL

Protection of harm

Answer 6

Milgram’s research had ethical issues
Many participants were not in normal sufficient state. For example it is described that many were seen to sweat, tremble and stutter.
We’re not actually protected from harm as many of them showed psychological stress

Question 7

Ethical issues of deception of Milgram’s experiment

Answer 7

Milgram’s research had ethical issues regarding deception
Real participants believed that the experimenter and the learner were real and that the lbut they were just fake were actually confederates
Participants deceived and believed they were actually causing harm to the learner.

goes against rights of participants - however needed for study

Question 8

Counter argument for deception in Milgram’s experiment

Answer 8

On the other hand the purpose and the results of the study outweigh the cost of deception in the study

Question 9

Strength of Milgram’s experiment - external validity

Answer 9

Milgram’s research has high external validity.
For example Höfling et el study was performed in a hospital. Both study’s gave the Same results with most of the participants obeying.
This shows that even though Milgram’s experiment was artificial the findings can be generalised to a natural setting ( a hospital)

Question 10

Limitations of Milgram’s experiment (internal validity)

Answer 10

Milgram’s experiment has low internal validity as some participants may have guessed that the shocks were fake and played along.
This can be seen when Gina Perry observed that in many tapes showed participants expressed doubt about the shock.
This implies that obedience shown may not have been genuine

Question 11

Strength of Milgram’s experiment - replication

Answer 11

Milgram’s findings have been replicated
A 2010s french reality show replicated Milgram’s research.
Participants to administer fake shocks to other participants (actors) ordered by presenter
80% administered to 450 volts.
Results identical to Milgram’s
Shows that Milgram’s research is not a one off occurrence and can be replicated

Question 12

How did milgram measure uniform as a situational variable

Answer 12

Original experimenter was called away and their role replaced by an ordinary member of the public.
Ordinary member of the public was a confederate
Instead of grey lab coat they wore everyday clothes

Question 13

Results of uniform variation of Milgram’s experiment

Answer 13

Obedience Levels decreased from 65z in the original version to 20% in this particular version - lowest

Question 14

Conclusion and explanation of uniform as situational factor

Answer 14

Baseline study experimenter was legitimate source of authority due to grey lab coat
Supplied shift to agentic state
People less likely to obey if they do not consider a figure of authority to be present
In this case was confederate in everyday clothes

Question 15

How did milgram alter his experiment to measure effect of proximity

Answer 15

Baseline research - teacher and experimenter were in the same room but learner in separate room
Two variations conducted
Teacher and learner in the same room
Teacher has to force learners hand on shock plate

Question 16

Results of proximity variation of Milgram’s study

Answer 16

Obedience levels dropped from 65% to 40%

And in second variation dropped to 30 %

Question 17

Conclusion of proximity being a situation factor in Milgram’s experiment

Answer 17

As learner and teacher got closer together the more the decrease in obedience
Teacher being more aware of their actions
Greater sense of sympathy
Shifting towards autonomous stage

Question 18

How did milgram alter his experiment to measure location

Answer 18

Orginal baseline held at Yale university’s

Variation took place at a run down building

Question 19

Results of location variation

Answer 19

Conformity decreased from 65% to 47.5%

Question 20

Conclusion of location as Situational factor

Answer 20

Conformity decreased
The building holds less authority
Obedience will not be present

Question 21

Strength peel paragraph of uniform

Answer 21

Research that supports for the influence of uniform on obedience
Bickman 1974 conducted experiment
Confederates wearing different types of clothing such as
Smart suit jacket, a security guard and milkman’s outfit
Confederates asked people to do small task
People twice as likely to obey to security guard in uniform
Strengthens idea of Milgrams that uniform conveys authority of its wearer

Question 22

Limitations to inform (pee)

Answer 22

Lack of internal validity
Orne Holland and milgram himself suggested participants worked out the procedures
Especially in variation where experimenter was switched to apparent member of public
Results might to be valid as participants might of seen through deception and changed behaviour

Question 23

Strength of situational explanations of Milgram’s research

Answer 23

Milgram’s research had high control over variables
Lab experiments
Proximity - everything except distance between learner and teacher kept the same
This shows cause and effect as results will be solely due to proximity nothing more

Question 24

What is agentic state ?

Answer 24

The mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure. This frees us from the demands of our conscience and allows us to obey even destructive authority figures

Question 25

What happens in agentic state

Answer 25

Feels no personal responsibility for their actions

Question 26

What is autonomous state

Answer 26

Opposite of agentic state

When a person behaves according to their own principles and feels responsibility for their actions

Question 27

What does legitmacy of authority do ?

Answer 27

Prevents being in autonomous state

Question 28

Strength of agentic state (PEE)

Answer 28

Strength - supported by Milgram’s research
65% of participants shocked to 450v and 0% stopped before 300
Milgram suggested the experimenter who was in white coat was perceived as authority figure due to social heir-achy.
PPs obeyed and shifted from autonomous to agentic state

Question 29

Limitation of agentic state (PEE)

Answer 29

Doesn’t explain findings in obedience research
Some pps did not obey in Milgram’s study
All humans are social animals in Hierarchies

Question 30

Limitation of agentic state (pee)

Answer 30

Doesn’t account for all behaviour of nazis
Mandel (1998) german Police Shot civilians in a small town in Poland
Weren’t given direct orders just told they could be assigned to other duties if prepared
We’re in their autonomous state as acting own principles yet felts no personal responsibility

Question 31

What is legitimacy of authority ?

Answer 31

An explanation of obedience which suggests that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us. This authority is justified by individuals position of power within social hierarchy

Question 32

How is the authority legitimate ?

Answer 32

It is agreed by society. The way authority figures exercise power allows society it function smoothly

Question 33

Strength of legitmacy of authority (my lai) pee

Answer 33

Explains my lai massacre
The soldiers at my lai killed over hundred of innocent civilians.
Their defence was that they were only following orders from a superior.
This implies the soldiers continued their horrific ways because they had an legitimate source of authority to folow so thought it was okay to do as well

Question 34

Strength of legitmacy of authority (cultural differences )

Answer 34

Kilham and Mann (1974) replicated milgram - 16% of pps went top of scale. Mantel (1971) did the same in Germany found that 85% went to top of scale.
In some cultures more than others authority is more often likely to be accepted as legitimate and entitled to obedience
Based on how children in different society raised to perceive authority.

Question 35

What is authoritarian personality ?

Answer 35

A type of personality that adorno argued was especially susceptible to obeying people in authoity. Submissive to higher status and dismissive of inferiors

Question 36

What is the f scale ?

Answer 36

Questionnaire designed to measure how authoritarian a person is.
Participants had to rate their agreement with each item on a 6 point scale

Question 37

Findings of adorno et el (1950)s study

Answer 37

People with authoritarian leanings scored high on the scale
Identified with strong people
Contemptuous of the weak
Conscious of their own and others status
Prejudice and authoritarianism - positive correlation

Question 38

How does authoritarian personality develop in childhood

Answer 38

Harsh parenting
Extremely strict discipline, absolute loyalty and severe criticism
Hostility and resentment that is displaced in the weak

Question 39

Strength of authoritarian personality as explanation of obedience

Answer 39

Research supporting relationship between authoritarian and obedience
Elms and milgram (1966) higher authoritarian levels in 20obedient than 20 disobedient pps
AP could be valid explanation for obedience

Question 40

Limitation of f scale (pee)

Answer 40

Methodological problems with F- scale
All items worded in same direction. Ticking same line of boxes down side of page will give you a high score
A questionnaire may not be valid measure of an authoritarian personality

Question 41

Limitations of authoritarian and obedience (adorno correlation) (pee)

Answer 41

Adorno found correlations between authoritarianism and obedience but not a cause.
Authoritarian is strongly correlated with obedience
Does not show one factor causes another

Question 42

Limitation of authoritarian personality as explanation for obedience

Answer 42

Pre war Germany millions of people displayed obedience
In racist and anti Semitic behaviour
It is unlikely that they all had authoritarian personality
Authoritarian personality is not the only only explanation for obedience and they’re may be better explanation of it such as situational factors

Question 43

What is resistance to social influence?

Answer 43

The ability of people to withstand the social pressure to conform to the majority or obey authority

Question 44

How is conformity lowered ?

Answer 44

Seeing someone else who is not following the majority. This

Person acts as a model and enables a person to follow their own conscience

Question 45

How did milgram investigate obedience

Answer 45

A genuine participant was joined by a disobedient confederate.
The participant copied and freed them to act on their own
65-10%

Question 46

What is locus of control

Answer 46

The sense we each have about direct event in our lives. Measured on a continuum with high internal loc at one end and high external loc at other end

Question 47

What do internal and externals believe

Answer 47

Internal - mostly responsible for what happens to them

External - mainly a matter of luck or other outside forces

Question 48

Traits of high interna

Answer 48

More self confidence
Achievement oriented
Believe they have more responsibility of their actions
Less need for social approval

Question 49

What are two explanations for resisting social influence

Answer 49

Social support and Loc

Question 50

Strengths of dissenting peers

Answer 50

Adam and Levine (1971)
Conformity decreased when there was one dissenter
Occurred even when dissenter clearly couldn’t judge length of lines (thick glasses + difficulty with vision)
Shows that resting is not about following other people but being freed from pressure

Question 51

Evidence for locus of control ( strength)

Answer 51

Holland (1967) repeated Milgram’s baseline study and measured if participants were internals or externals
37% of internal did not continue to highest shock
23% of externals did not continue
Increases validity of locus of control

Question 52

Limitation of locus of control (peel)

Answer 52

Rotter (1982) found that loc only comes to play in novel situations. In familiar situations our personal experiences will always be more important than loc
This shows that locus of control is only helpful in explaining a narrow range of situations
People might be internal but if conformed in the past will do it again

Question 53

Limitation of loc ( American studies) (PEE)

Answer 53

Twinge et al (2004) analysed data from American loc studies over 40 years
The American public had become more independent so it was predicted they would become more internals. As more independence more responsibility for own actions
However they were actually more external
This challenges link between loc and resistance to social influence.