Social Influence: Situational variables affecting conformity Flashcards
Define obedience to conformity
A type of social influence where someone acts in response to a direct order from a figure with perceived authority.
What is the key study for situational variables affecting conformity?
Milgram’s electric shock study (1963)
What was the aim of Milgram’s electric sock study?
To investigate ppts willingness to obey an authority figure to an extreme extent.
What was the procedure of Milgram’s electric sock study?
Conducted at Yale University.
An advert in a paper to study punishment and learning was released.
Recruited 40 ppts.
The study had a naïve/real ppt – teacher and 2 confederates —> the experimenter (wore a lab coat) and the learner.
The teacher asked question and delivered an electric shock when the learner gave an incorrect or no answer.
The shock level increased by 15V each time up to 450V with 330V marked as lethal.
The shocks weren’t real, and we acted by the learner.
Ppts, we assessed on how far they would go + experimenter prompted them to continue when experimenter asked to stop.
What were the findings of Milgram’s electric sock study?
All ppts went to 300V with only 12.5% stopping there
65% went to 450V.
What was the conclusion of Milgram’s electric sock study?
People will obey an authority figure to an extreme extent, but situational variables can affect this.
What were the 3 situational variable conditions?
Proximity
Location
Uniform
How was proximity investigated and what were the findings?
Proximity affects how aware individuals are of the consequences of their own actions. Obedience tends to be higher when an individual can remove themselves from the consequences. Milgram tested this by manipulating the proximity of the teacher (real ppt) and the learner (confederate).
When in the same room obedience to 450V dropped from 65% to 40%.
With the teacher having to force the learner’s hand on a plate (touch proximity) that administered the electric shock obedience dropped to 30%.
When the experimenter (authority figure) gave instructions via phone call and experimenter was in a separate room obedience dropped to 21%.
How was location investigated and what were the findings?
The location of an environment can equate to the amount of perceived legitimate authority an authority figure is considered to have. Obedience rates will be higher is location is considered appropriate especially in institutional settings where obedience to authority is expected.
Milgram moved the study from the prestigious Yale University to a run-down office block in a poor area of New York. Obedience rates dropped from 65% to 47.5%.
How was uniform investigated and what were the findings?
Uniform can add to the legitimacy of an authority figure.
Obedience rates are higher when the person giving instructions is dressed in a formal way. When the experimenter wore a lab coat obedience was 65% but when the lab coat was removed obedience decreased.
What are the 4 AO3 points for situational variables affecting conformity?
-Lack of mundane realism
-Ethical issues
+RLA
-Andocentric
(-AO3) How does Milgram’s shock study lack mundane realism?
Milgram’s study uses very unrealistic tasks which would never be encountered in everyday life.
His study may explain obedience in extreme scenarios but not in day-to-day obedient scenarios.
Therefore, his study lacks external validity.
(-AO3) What are the ethical issues in Milgram’s shock study?
Breaches BPS guidelines of deception, informed consent and potentially protection from psychological harm.
Cost-benefit analysis may be needed.
However, to counteract these issues ppts went through a careful debriefing process post-study and the majority were happy they took part.
What is the RLA for Milgram’s electric shock study?
May explain behaviour of Nazi-German officers during WW2.
The atrocities committed against the Jewish community but despite being in close proximity to victims, officers continued to abuse the community.
This questions the accuracy of Milgram’s situational variable whilst also excusing extreme behaviour as a result of obedience.
(-AO3) How is Milgram’s study Andocentric?
the research was populated by male volunteers only, which means that the research only tests the male response to obedience. This is a problem because it means the results can’t be generalised to women as they have not been part of the research and may in fact have responded differently to authority than the men. Some research suggests that women are more obedient than men, Sheridan & King found that 100% of women, compared to 54% of men, administered fake electric shocks to a puppy when it responded incorrectly to a command.
