social influence - situational variables affecting obedience

Question 1

What are the 3 situational variables affecting obedience?

Answer 1

• proximity
• uniform
• location

Question 2

What is meant by proximity

Answer 2

How near/far the ppt/teacher is to learner or authority figure

Question 3

Proximity - AO1

Answer 3

• original experiment obedience = 65%
• teacher could not see learner, only hear them
• teacher and learner in same room, obedience = 40%
• teacher could see unpleasant consequences of their actions
• when teacher forced learners hand on electric shock plate
• obedience = 30%
• experimenter left room and gave instructions to learner via telephone
• obedience = 20.5%
• suggesting closer authority figure, more obedient

Question 4

Location - AO1

Answer 4

• original experiment at prestigious university obedience = 65%
• run down office in run down part of town obedience = 48%
• milgram suggested this was because amount of perceived legitimate authority of experimenter was reduced

Question 5

Uniform - AO1

Answer 5

• original experiment with experimenter in grey lab coat and ‘air of authority’ obedience = 65%
• when experimenter was called away to answer phone call and role was taken over by member of public who wore ‘everyday clothes’
• obedience = 20%
• suggests uniform acts as strong visual authority symbol
• cue to act in obedient manner
• amount of perceived legitimate authority reduced when not in uniform

Question 6

Research to support - AO3
Bickman

Answer 6

P - research to support comes from Beckman in New York

E - 3 confederates dressed in 3 different uniforms
- milkman, businessman, security guard
- asked passers-by to pay for parking or pick up litter

E - ppts were twice as likely to obey security guard
- compared to businessman

L - suggest power of uniform is a variable affecting obedience
- visual symbol of authority

Question 7

Weakness - AO3
Gender bias

Answer 7

P - can be criticised for gender bias
- male only sample

E - difficult to generalise to females
- females may be more obedient

E - research suggests females more submissive
- due to gender roles

L - weakens external validity

Question 8

Weakness - AO3
demand characteristics

Orne and Holland

Answer 8

P - ppts may have been displaying demand characteristics

E - Orne and Holland
- noticed this in original study
- suggest more likely in variation studies

E - power of uniform - when experimenter left room and member of public took over
- seems very staged
- ppts may have worked out the truth

L - weakens internal validity
- unclear if findings were due to obedience
- or if ppts saw through obedience and played ‘acted’

Question 9

Alternative explanation - AO3
Dispositional factors

Answer 9

P - alternative explanation
- dispositional factors
- e.g. authoritarian personality

E - suggests obedience is due to internal factors
e.g. personality
- instead of situational factors

E - obedience may not just be due to uniform, proximity, location

L - limits situational factors
- not the sole explanation