Social Influence - Situation Variables Flashcards
What are situational variables?
In his research Milgram identified several factors that he believed influenced the level of obedience shown by participants. They are all related to the external circumstances rather than the personalities of the people involved.
What is proximity?
The physical closeness or distance of an authority figure to the person they are giving an order to. Also refers to the physical closeness of the teacher to the ‘victim’ (learner) in Milgram’s studies.
What is location?
The place where an order is issued. The relevant factor that influences obedience is the status or prestige associated with the location.
What is uniform?
People in positions of authority often have a specific outfit that is symbolic of their authority, for example police officers and judges. This indicates to the rest of us who is entitled to expect our obedience.
What situational variables did Milgram study, and what were their effects on obedience?
Milgram studied proximity, location, and uniform. In the proximity variation, when the teacher and learner were in the same room, obedience dropped from 65% to 40%. When the teacher had to force the learner’s hand onto a shock plate, it dropped to 30%. When the experimenter gave orders by phone, it dropped to 20.5%. In the location variation, when the study was conducted in a run-down building rather than Yale University, obedience dropped to 47.5%. In the uniform variation, when the experimenter wore ordinary clothes instead of a lab coat, obedience dropped to 20%.
What is one evaluation point about research support for Milgram’s variations?
Research support comes from a field experiment in New York City by Bickman (1974). Three confederates dressed in different outfits – jacket and tie, milkman’s outfit, and security guard’s uniform. They asked passers-by to pick up litter or give a coin for parking. People were twice as likely to obey the security guard than the jacket-and-tie confederate. This supports Milgram’s conclusion that a uniform conveys the authority of its wearer and is a situational factor likely to produce obedience.
What is one evaluation point about internal validity in Milgram’s variations?
Orne and Holland criticised Milgram’s original study, saying participants realised the procedure was fake. This is even more likely in the variations due to extra manipulation. For example, in the uniform variation, the experimenter was replaced by a ‘member of the public’. Even Milgram recognised that this situation was so contrived that some participants may have worked out the truth. This is a limitation because it means the results may not be genuine due to participants behaving as they thought they should.
What is one evaluation point about cross-cultural replication?
A general strength of Milgram’s research is that his findings have been replicated in other cultures. For example, Miranda et al. (1981) found an obedience rate of over 90% among Spanish students. This suggests Milgram’s conclusions about obedience are not limited to American males but are valid across cultures and apply to females too.
What is one evaluation point about control of variables in Milgram’s variations?
A strength of Milgram’s variations is that he systematically altered one variable at a time to see its effect on obedience. All other procedures and variables were kept the same as the study was replicated with more than 1000 participants in total. This control gives us more certainty that changes in obedience were caused by situational variables.
