social influence: situational explanations (obedience) Flashcards
What sparked Stanley Milgram’s initial interest in obedience?
The trial of Adolf Eichmann in 1961 for war crimes.
What was Adolf Eichmann’s defense during his trial?
He claimed he was only obeying orders.
What is an ‘agent’ in the context of obedience?
Someone who acts for or in place of another.
How does an agent experience moral strain?
They experience high anxiety when they realize their actions are wrong but feel powerless to disobey.
What does ‘autonomy’ mean?
To be independent or free.
What is an autonomous state?
A state where a person behaves according to their own principles and feels responsible for their actions.
What is the agentic shift?
The transition from autonomy to agency when perceiving someone as an authority figure.
Who has greater power in a social hierarchy?
The authority figure.
What are binding factors?
Aspects of the situation that allow a person to ignore or minimize the damaging effects of their behavior.
What strategies do individuals use to reduce moral strain?
- Shifting responsibility to the victim
- Denying the damage to victims
True or False: An agent feels a sense of responsibility for their actions.
False.
Fill in the blank: The shift from autonomy to agency is called the _______.
agentic shift.
What did Milgram propose about participants who wanted to stop but felt powerless?
They remained in an agentic state due to binding factors.
What supports the role of the agentic state in obedience?
Milgram’s own studies
Milgram’s studies demonstrated that participants often resisted giving shocks and questioned the Experimenter about responsibility.
What did participants ask the Experimenter during Milgram’s study?
Who is responsible if Mr Wallace (the Learner) is harmed?
This question indicates participants’ concern over their role in the experiment.
What was the Experimenter’s response to the question of responsibility?
I’m responsible
This response led participants to continue the procedure with fewer objections.
What happens when participants perceive they are not responsible for their behavior?
They act more easily as the Experimenter’s agent
This aligns with Milgram’s suggestion regarding the agentic state.
What is a limitation of the agentic shift explanation?
It doesn’t explain many research findings about obedience
The agentic shift fails to account for instances where individuals disobey authority.
What did Rank and Jacobson find in their 1977 study with hospital nurses?
16 out of 18 nurses disobeyed orders from a doctor
This study highlights that authority figures do not always guarantee obedience.
What was the nature of the authority figure in Rank and Jacobson’s study?
An obvious authority figure (the doctor)
Despite the authority, nurses chose to remain autonomous.
What does the study by Rank and Jacobson suggest about the agentic shift?
It can only account for some situations of obedience
The findings indicate variability in obedience based on context and individual factors.
