Social Influence - Obedience to Authority Flashcards
Obedience
The extent to which we obey orders of demands of an authority figure
In what trials was obedience used as a reason for wrongdoings?
The Nuremberg Trials
Who stated that they were ‘just obeying orders’ at the Nuremberg Trials? What did they do?
Eichmann - head of the Nazi’s Gestapo Department for Jewish Affairs during WW2, responsible for death camps
Famous study into obedience
Milgrim’s shock experiment
When was Milgrim’s Shock Experiment conducted?
1961
Two aims of Milgrim’s Shock Experiment
To investigate whether the Nazis were different to others when it came to obeying authority
To investigate whether ordinary people would obey an authority figure even if it caused harm to somebody
How did Milgrim gather participants for Milgrim’s Shock Experiment?
Advertised to the American public as a study of memory, offering to pay participants $4 per hour
Sampling method of Milgrim’s Shock Experiment
Volunteer sampling
Sample of Milgrim’s Shock Experiment
40 all-male participants within age range of 20-50 with job status’ ranging from unskilled to professional
What were participants told before the start of Milgrim’s Shock Experiment?
They were told that they were randomly assigned to the roles of teacher and learner, however this was rigged as the learner was a confederate
What did the experimenter wear in Milgrim’s Shock Experiment?
A lab coat (sign of authority)
What was the teacher participants told to do in Milgrim’s Shock Experiment?
Told to ask the learner (who they couldn’t see) a number of questions and told to give the learner a shock every time they got a question wrong and every time they answers a wrong question, the voltage would increase
Volt range of Milgrim’s Shock Experiment
15 to 450
What did the learner (confederate) do at 300 volts?
They begged the teacher to release them from the experiment
What happened if an answer wasn’t given by the learner in Milgrim’s Shock Experiment?
The experimenter told the teacher that no answer equals a wrong answer
What percentage of participants went up to 300 volts in Milgrim’s Shock Experiment?
100%
What percentage of participants stopped at 300 volts in Milgrim’s Shock Experiment?
12.5%
What percentage of participants carried on to the highest voltage in Milgrim’s Shock Experiment?
65%
What did the participants show during the entirety of the experiment in Milgrim’s Shock Experiment?
Signs of extreme tension such as sweating, trembling and even seizures (3 participants)
Following Milgrim’s Shock Experiment, what happened to the participants?
They were debriefed and told their behaviours were completely normal
According to a follow-up questionnaire, what percentage of participants said they were happy to of participated in Milgrim’s Shock Experiment?
84%
Conclusion of Milgrim’s Shock Experiment
The Nazis were no different to others when it came to obeying to authority
What carried out supporting research for Milgrim’s Shock Experiment in 1966?
Hofling et al
Aim of Hofling et al’s experiment into obedience
To examine how nurses complied to orders of medical doctors when the instructions broke hospital rules
What did the doctor instruct the nurses to do in Hofling et al’s experiment into obedience?
The doctor instructed nurses over a phone to administer a made-up drug to a patient, a dose of 20mg (well above daily dose)
Who was the doctor in Hofling et al’s experiment into obedience?
A confederate given a name unknown to the nurses
Are medical orders allowed to be given over the phone in a hospital?
No
How many nurses were in Hofling et al’s experiment into obedience?
22
How many nurses obeyed in Hofling et al’s experiment into obedience?
21/22 (95%)
Who carried out research in 1977 with the aim of finding evidence to contradict Hofling et al’s experiment into obedience?
Rank and Jacobson
What was changed in Rank and Jacobson’s study from Hofling et al’s experiment into obedience?
Doctor they knew was giving the orders over the phone
The drug was a real drug called Valium
Nurses had opportunity to discuss order with another nurse
How many nurses were in Rank and Jacobson’s study?
18
How many nurses obeyed the orders in Rank and Jacobson’s study?
2/18 (11%)
Three causes for obedience
The agentic state
The autonomous state
Legitimacy of authority
According to the Agentic State, why did the Nazi soldiers participate in destructive obedience?
Because they didn’t take responsibility for their actions
According to the Agentic State, what would obeyers experience when making their choices to obey?
Moral stain (great anxiety)
Beliefs of people during Agentic State
They know they are doing is wrong but are powerless to obey
The autonomous state
Individuals are independent or free (opposite of Agentic state)
How do individuals behave during autonomous state?
According to their own principles so they are responsible for their own actions
When does the autonomous state occur?
When someone perceived another as a figure of authority due to their position in the socjal hierarchy
Why do certain people hold authority over us?
Because society is structured hierarchically
Legitimacy of authority
Authoritative figured are allowed to exert their power over us because itallows society to function normally
How do we give up our independence to authoritative figures in society?
By allowing these people to punish wrongdoers, causing destructive authority
