Social influence - Obedience situational variables

Question 1

what are situational variables

Answer 1

• features of the environment that can influence a persons behaviour

Question 2

what were the three variables Milgram experimented with

Answer 2

• proximity
• location
• uniform

Question 3

how was uniform investigated

Answer 3

• baseline study the experimenter wore a lab coat
• variation the experimenter was called away and replaced with a regular man
• obedience dropped to only 20%
• not faced with someone with scientific credibility

Question 4

how was location investigated

Answer 4

• baseline study in Yale university
• variation in a run down office above a shop
• 48% continued to 450v

Question 5

how was proximity investigated

Answer 5

• baseline study the teacher could hear the learner but not see them

Remote feedback - victim couldn’t be heard or seen - obedience 66%
Voice feedback - victim could be heard but not seen - obedience 65%
Proximity - victim was one metre away from the participant - obedience 40%
Touch-Proximity - participant had to place the learners hands on the shock plate - obedience 30%

Question 6

what was Hofling’s study

Answer 6

-1966
- field study on nurses who were unaware
- 22 real night nurses and Dr. Smith a stooge
- phoned the nurses on separate occasions and asked them to check for the drug Astroten
- nurses told to administer 20mg to a Mr Jones (medication wasn’t real)

• all but one obeyed

Question 7

what was Bickman’s study

Answer 7

• 1974
• investigated social power of uniform in a field study
• guards outfit, milkman’s outfit, sports coat and tie
• each gave different instructions to pedestrians
• participants most likely to obey the guard
• obedience related to the amount of perceived authority and uniform