🟣 Social Influence - Situational Variables Affecting Obediance Flashcards
What is a situational variable
A feature of the environment that unintentionally affects the results of a study or the behaviour of an individual
3 variations of Milgrams study
Proximity
Location
Uniform
How does the 3 proximity variations affect Milgrams study
- teacher and learner in same room = obedience drops to 40%
- Teacher forced learners hand onto a electroshock plate when refused to answer question =30%
- No experimenter in room, over phone = 21%
Conclusion = closer the person is to the legitimate authority, higher the obedience. The closer to the consequences of the actions, less obedience
How does location affect Milgrams study
- set at Yale university
- changed setting to run down , abandoned building in Connecticut. Obedience dropped to 48% not statistically significant
How does the uniform affect Milgrams study
- original = experimenter wore white lab coat
- in variation, experimenter went away for a phone call and replaced with an ‘ordinary member of the public’ who wore everyday casual clothes. Obedience dropped to 20%
Research supporting uniform
Bickman (1974)
Bickman (1974)
Field experiment
Aim = See whether obedience was affected by situational variables in a real life setting
Procedure = 153 random participants in NYC. experimenter dressed as security guard, milkman and ordinary clothes. Asked members of the public to follow 1 of 3 instructions.
- “Pick up this bag for me”
- “This man is over parked at the meter, but doesn’t have any change, give him a dime”
- “Don’t you know you have to stand on the other side of this pole? The sign says no standing”
Bickman (1974) results
Obeyed…
Security guards = 76%
Milkman = 47%
Pedestrian = 30%
Individuals more likely to obey when instructed by someone wearing a uniform. The uniform infers legitimate authority
