Social Influence - Obedience (Milgram) Flashcards
Define obedience
Changing behaviour to follow demands of an authority figure
To avoid punishment/consequences
What was the aim of Milgrams study?
To investigate wether people would give someone a potentially lethal shock if told to do so
What was the method of Milgrams study?
40 male volunteers between 25-50 & range of jobs.
A confederate always ended up as learner & participant was teacher.
Were told they could leave at any time
Learner strapped to chair in other room & wired with electrodes.
Had to memorise a memory task and if he got one wrong, the teacher had to shock him.
Rose from 15 volts to 450 - at 350 learner pounded on wall and went silent
What was the results of Milgrams study?
No participant stopped below 300 volts
Five stopped then when pounded on wall
65% went to full voltage
Participants showed signs of tension - sweat, tremble, bite lips, three had full blown uncontrollable seizures.
What was the conclusion of Milgrams study?
Obedience had little to do with disposition.
Obedience was better explained in terms of factors that made it difficult to disobey
Weakness of Milgrams study? (Thought shocks were fake)
Participants may not have believed the shocks were real.
Despite the test shock at start, it’s possible they felt it unlikely such Sever shocks were being delivered.
Supported by research where Gina Perry listened to tapes and many voiced suspicions
Most of them thought they were fake but went along so didn’t spoil test
Strength of Milgrams study?
The same results have been found in other studies
In one, participants had to shock puppy and 54% male 10.% female delivered what they thought was a fatal shock
Suggests Milgrams results weren’t fake but represented something real.
Weakness of Milgrams study? (Distress)
Participants experienced distress
It’s claimed Milgram caused psychological damage to participants because they thought they were causing pain to leaner.
At end they were shown they didn’t but deception was betrayed of trust and = bad reputation of psychologists
Ethical issues don’t challenge findings but question value of research
What’s a social factor of obedience
Obeying because features of your surroundings make you feel a stronger pressure from others
Eg - if others are obedient
What’s a dispositional factor of obedience?
Obeying because you have more obedient personality & you are aware of your position in social hierarchy
Eg - background /parents
What is the agency theory
Explains obedience in terms of whether an individual is making their own free will choices or acting as an agent of an authority figure
What is it called when a person behaves according to their own principles and feel responsible for their own actions
Autonomous State
What is it called when a person acts on behalf of someone else and feels no responsibility for their actions
Agentic State
What’s an Agentic Shift?
Change from autonomous state to agentic state
Occurs when a person perceives someone else as an authority figure
What are three social factors that affect obedience?
Authority
Culture
Proximity
Explain authority in obedience
Someone with greater power because of position in social hierarchy
Uniform gives status
Trust their expertise so fear potential punishments
Explain culture in obedience
Refers to beliefs & expectations that surround us
Individualistic culture means lower obedience levels and more freedom/independence
Collectivistic culture means higher obedience levels and more respect for authority - place greater importance on group values
Explain proximity in obedience
People are more likely to obey when authority is closer
Obedience decreases when the consequences of our actions are closer - feel guilt
Explain a strength of agency theory
There is research support.
Blass and Schmitt showed a film of Milgram’s study to students who blamed the ‘experimenter’ rather than the ‘teacher’ for the harm to the learner.
Therefore the students recognised the legitimate authority of the experiment or as the cause of obedience
Explain a weakness of agency theory (doesn’t explain 100% obedience)
Agency theory can’t explain why there isn’t 100% obedience.
In Milgram’s study 35% of the participants didn’t go up to the maximum shock of 450 volts.
They said in interviews there were various reasons for lack of obedience.
Social factors can’t fully explain obedience
Explain a weakness of agency theory (excuses people)
Agency theory gives people an excuse for ‘blind’ obedience.
Nazis who were racist and prejudiced were doing more than just following orders.
This means that agency theory is potentially dangerous as it slows people to think they aren’t always responsible
