Social psychology

Question 1

What are the 2 assumptions of the social approach

Answer 1

Behaviour is influenced by the situation, by our interactions with other individuals and by
groups.
Behaviour is influenced by culture and by society

Question 2

What was the aim of Milgram’s original study

Answer 2

To investigate the extent to which ordinary people would follow destructive orders in a situation in which obedience could seriously harm, even kill, another individual, thereby violating their moral codes.

Question 3

What is the sample for Milgram’s original study

Answer 3

Volunteer sample of 40 men from the New Haven area was gained via a local newspaper article

Question 4

What is the procedure of Milgram’s original study

Answer 4

P’pants deceived into thinking it was a study on effect of punishment on memory
P’pant was teacher and confederate MR W was learner, they were in separate rooms
Teacher teach a word pairing task every time they were wrong the teacher electric shocked them increasing by 15 from 15-450 V.
Mr W complained of a heart condition and when the p’pant tried to stop they were given a series of verbal prods like ‘u must continue’

Question 5

What were the findings of Milgrams original study

Answer 5

100% of participants went to 300V and 65% went to the end of 450. Physical signs of stress including stress, trembling, seizures and nail biting

Question 6

What was the conclusion of Milgrams original study

Answer 6

Social setting is a powerful determinant of behaviour.
Majority of ordinary people will follow destructive orders if instructed by an authority figure even if someone’s life is at risk

Question 7

2 strengths of Milgrams original study

Answer 7

Standardised procedure - highly controlled lab setting all men experienced same thing as like verbal prods, tape played responses from Mr W and the same fake aim. T/F reliable as it’s all replicated in different variations to produce similar findings
Practical applications - 65% going to 450 shows people will carry out destructive orders from authority figure. T/F can explain historic events like Abu Ghraib or holocaust

Question 8

2 weaknesses of Milgrams original study.

Answer 8

Pop validity - 40 men from New haven area so androcentric and ethnocentric and small sample size
Mundane realism - Highly controlled artificial lab setting task of shocking someone when they get something wrong not an everyday task so not naturally occuring

Question 9

What is a risk assessment

Answer 9

Systematic collection of info to determine the degree to which harm is likely at some poimt

Question 10

2 considerations of risk assessment

Answer 10

Any long term negative effects - physical , psychological etc
The way the participants are recruited - Sampling method, paid etc

Question 11

Aim of Milgrams experiment 7

Answer 11

Investigate if proximity to experimenter would influence levels of obedience. To see if physical distance where orders were over the phone would influence levels of obedience

Question 12

What was the sample of Milgrams experiment 7

Answer 12

Volunteer sample of 40 men from the new haven area

Question 13

Procedure of Milgrams experiment 7

Answer 13

Initial instructions were given by the experimenter but this time he left the room and gave further instructions over the phone
P’pants deceived into thinking it was a study on effect of punishment on memory
P’pant was teacher and confederate MR W was learner, they were in separate rooms
Teacher teach a word pairing task every time they were wrong the teacher electric shocked them increasing by 15 from 15-450 V.
Mr W complained of a heart condition and when the p’pant tried to stop they were given a series of verbal prods over the phone like ‘u must continue’

Question 14

Findings of Milgrams experiment 7

Answer 14

22.5% went to 450 volts
Sweating, trembling and nail biting

Question 15

Conclusion of Milgrams experiment 7

Answer 15

The larger proximity of the authority figure to the person giving the order to less likely they are to be obedient.

Question 16

Define obedience

Answer 16

Following orders from someone with more authority than you

Question 17

Define obedience

Answer 17

Following orders from someone with more authority than u

Question 18

2 strengths of Milgrams experiment 7

Answer 18

Standardised procedure - highly controlled lab setting all men experienced same things like verbal prods over the phone, tape played responses from Mr W and the same fake aim. T/F reliable as it’s all replicated in different variations to produce similar findings
Practical applications - going from 65% to 22.5% shows people more likelt to obey if order given in person than over the phone from authority figure. T/F can explain historic events like Abu Ghraib or holocaust

Question 19

2 weaknesses of Milgrams experiment 7

Answer 19

Pop validity - 40 men from New haven area so androcentric and ethnocentric and small sample size
Mundane realism - receiving orders over the phone to electric shock someone when they get something wrong not an everyday task so not naturally occuring

Question 20

Milgrams Experiment 10 aim

Answer 20

To investigate if the setting of where an order is given would influence the levels of obedience. To see if a rundown office block would decrease levels of obedience

Question 21

Sample of Milgrams experiment 10

Answer 21

Volunteer sample of 40 men from new haven

Question 22

Procedure of Milgrams experiment 10

Answer 22

Procedure was the same as Milgrams original experiment apart from the setting was a rundown office block in downtown Bridgeport Connecticut rather than Yale in. P’pants thought it was a private research company no connection to Yale

Question 23

Findings of Milgrams experiment 10

Answer 23

47.5% participants went 450 volts. All the same physical signs of stress

Question 24

Conclusion of Milgrams experiment 10

Answer 24

The location of where the order is given will influence obedience levels. The less prestigious the location the lower the levels of obedience.

Question 25

2 strengths of Milgrams experiment 10

Answer 25

Standardised procedure - highly controlled lab setting all men experienced same things like verbal prods, tape played responses from Mr W and the same fake aim. T/F reliable as it’s all replicated in different variations to produce similar findings
Practical applications - going from 65% to 47.5 % shows people more likelt to obey if order given in a prestigious setting. T/F can explain high levels of obedience in institutional setting

Question 26

2 weaknesses of Milgrams experiment 10

Answer 26

Pop validity - 40 men from New haven area so androcentric and ethnocentric and small sample size
Mundane realism - receiving orders in a rundown office block to electric shock someone when they get something wrong not an everyday task so not naturally occuring

Question 27

Aim of Milgrams experiment 13

Answer 27

Investigate if viewing someone as a legitimate authority figure by the way they are dressed will influence levels of obedience.

Question 28

Procedure of Milgrams experiment 13

Answer 28

Same as Milgrams apart from 4 people entered Mr W, participant, Experimenter and ordinary man.
Experimenter strapped Mr W in then left due to a phone call and ordinary man became experimenter e.g. giving verbal prods when needed

Question 29

Findings of Milgrams 13

Answer 29

20% of participants went to 450 volts
Same physical signs of stress

Question 30

Conclusion of Milgrams experiment 13

Answer 30

People dressed in normal clothes and not uniform are viewed as a less legitimate authority figure and so obedience levels will decrease.

Question 31

2 strengths of Milgrams 13 experiment

Answer 31

Standardised procedure - highly controlled lab setting all men experienced same things like verbal prods, tape played responses from Mr W and the experimenter leaving leaving the ordinary man. T/F reliable as it’s all replicated in different variations to produce similar findings
Practical applications - going from 65% to 20% shows people more likelt to obey if they see the authority figure as more prestigious . T/F can explain high levels of obedience in institutional setting

Question 32

2 weaknesses of Milgram’s experiment 13

Answer 32

Pop validity - 40 men from New haven area so androcentric and ethnocentric and small sample size
Mundane realism - receiving orders from and ordinary man to electric shock someone when they get something wrong not an everyday task so not naturally occuring

Question 33

5 Situational factors affecting obedience

Answer 33

Social contract - paid so more likely to obey
Buffers - Separate room teacher and learner 65-40%
Status of authority figure - Lab coat to ordinary man 65-20%
Deferred responsibility - experimenter takes full responsibility
Location - More prestigious more obedience - 65-47.5%

Question 34

Locus of control in obedience

Answer 34

Rotter proposed a scale to measure someone’s locus of control.
Internal locus of control - Believe they are responsible for their own actions and less influenced by others
External locus of control - Believe behaviour is beyond their control and due to external factors such as fate so are influenced around them
Milgram found those who disobeyed gave more blame to themselves than others.

Question 35

Authoritarian personality in obedience

Answer 35

Adorno proposed that some people have authoritarian personality and are rigid in their thoughts so wont change the way they think. Likely to conform to social norms and be conventional in their attitudes.
Hostile towards those with inferior status to themselves and obedient to those with higher status

Question 36

Personality trait of empathy

Answer 36

Has been theorised that those with high levels of empathy

Question 37

Gender in obedience

Answer 37

Milgram’s experiment 8 found similar obedience rates for men and women although women had higher levels of anxiety than men
Very little if any gender difference in obedience

Question 38

Culture in obedience

Answer 38

Individualistic cultures - such as America and Britain tend to behave more independently and resist conformity and compliance so less likely to obey
Collectivist cultures such as china tend to behave as collective groups based on interdependence, meaning compliance is important so more likely to obey.

Question 39

Aim of Burgers study

Answer 39

To investigate obedience by partially replicating Milgrams study to examine whether situation factors still affect obedience to an authority figure. Simply ‘Would people still obey today?’

Question 40

Sample of Burgers study

Answer 40

A volunteer sample of 70 paid volunteers both male and female at Santa Clara uni

Question 41

Procedure of burgers study

Question 42

Findings of burgers study

Answer 42

Burger found that 33.3% males and 27.3% females stopped at or before 150 volts. 70% of the of the participants continued after 150 volts - 66.7% males and 72.7% females

Question 43

Conclusion of burgers study

Answer 43

Average Americans react today much the same way they did 46 years ago. The same situational factors that affected obedience in Milgram’s participants still operate today. Time and changes in society’s culture did not have an effect on obedience levels.

Question 44

2 strengths of Burgers study

Answer 44

Standardised procedure - all experienced same things like verbal prods, sample shock and told they can keep money regardless
Demand characteristics - P’pants were screened to ensure they hadn’t studied psychology and weren’t aware of Milgrams study.

Question 45

2 Weaknesses of Burgers study

Answer 45

Pop validity - used a sample of 70 from same area of America
Mundane realism - shocking someone for getting a wrong answer is not an everyday task.