Situational variables affecting obedience

• What was the aim of Milgram's original obedience research?

  To investigate whether people will obey an order from an authority figure to inflict pain on another person.
• What was the procedure followed in Milgram's obedience study?

  • 40 American men aged 20-50 volunteered.
  • Study advertised as investigating 'punishment on learning'.
  • Participants met an experimenter in a lab coat.
  • Fixed draw assigned roles: teacher (naive participant) and learner (confederate).
  • Teacher administered electric shocks for wrong answers.
  • Shock generator ranged from 15 to 450 volts.
  • Shocks were not actually administered.
  • Pre-recorded tapes of the learner were played.
  • Experimenter used standardized prods if the participant hesitated.
  • Participants were debriefed after the experiment.
• How many participants were involved in Milgram's study?

  40 American men.
• What roles were assigned to the participants in the Milgram study?

  The naive participant was always the teacher, and the confederate was always the learner.
• What was the voltage range of the shock generator used in the study?

  The voltage ranged from 15 to 450 volts.
• What did the teacher have to do each time the learner gave a wrong response?

  The teacher was instructed to increase the shock level by one switch (15 volts) each time.
• What happened when the naive participant expressed unwillingness to continue?

  The experimenter gave a series of standardized prods to encourage them to continue.
• What were the findings of Milgram's obedience study?

  • 100% of participants obeyed up to 300 volts.
  • 65% of participants obeyed to the maximum of 450 volts.
  • Most participants showed signs of stress and distress.
• What percentage of participants obeyed to the maximum voltage of 450 volts?

  65% of participants.
• What signs of distress did participants show during the experiment?

  Participants showed signs such as digging their nails into their flesh and sweating.
• What conclusion can be drawn from Milgram's obedience research?

  • Most people will obey orders from an authority figure.
  • This obedience can occur even if the orders conflict with personal conscience.
• What were the two main variables Milgram investigated in his obedience studies?

  Proximity and location
• What were the procedures and findings when Milgram increased the proximity between the participant and the confederate by placing them in the same room?

  • Procedure: Participant and confederate in the same room
  • Findings: Obedience rates decreased from 65% to 40%
• What were the procedures and findings when Milgram instructed the teacher to hold the learner's hand onto the electric shock plate?

  • Procedure: Teacher held learner's hand on shock plate
  • Findings: Obedience rates decreased from 65% to 30%
• What were the procedures and findings when Milgram decreased the proximity between the participant and the experimenter by using a telephone?

  • Procedure: Experimenter gave orders via telephone
  • Findings: Obedience rates decreased from 65% to 20.5%
• What do the proximity variations in Milgram's studies suggest about obedience rates?

  Increasing proximity to the victim decreases obedience, while decreasing proximity to the authority figure also decreases obedience.
• How did Milgram vary the location of his original obedience research, and what were the findings?

  • Location changed to a run-down office block
  • Findings: Obedience rates decreased from 65% to 47.5%
• What was the procedure and findings of Bickman's research on uniform in a field experiment?

  • Procedure: Confederates asked passers-by to perform tasks in different outfits
  • Findings: Passers-by were most obedient to the security guard
• What does proximity refer to in the context of Milgram's studies?

  Proximity refers to the physical distance between individuals.
• What are the two types of proximity variations Milgram conducted in his studies?

  • Proximity of the victim (between participant and confederate)
  • Proximity of the authority figure (between participant and experimenter)
• What situational variables have been investigated in relation to obedience?

  Proximity, location, and uniform
• How did Milgram vary proximity in his obedience research?

  By having the participant physically hold the learner's hand onto the electric shock plate
• What was the effect of increasing proximity on obedience rates in Milgram's study?

  Obedience rates decreased from 65% to 27.5%
• How did changing the location of Milgram's experiment affect obedience rates?

  Obedience rates decreased from 65% to 47.5%
• What did Bickman investigate in relation to obedience?

  The effect of uniform on obedience
• What was the finding of Bickman's study regarding uniforms and obedience?

  Passers-by were most obedient to the confederate in a security guard uniform
• What are the explanations for why people obey based on situational variables?

  • Proximity: Agentic state explanation
  • Location: Legitimacy of authority explanation
  • Uniform: Legitimacy of authority explanation
• How does the agentic state explanation relate to proximity in obedience?

  Participants felt more responsibility when holding the learner's hand, leading to disobedience
• Why does location affect obedience according to the legitimacy of authority explanation?

  Participants trusted the authority figure more at Yale University than in a run-down office block
• How does uniform convey legitimacy of authority in obedience?

  The uniform of the security guard suggests legitimate authority, increasing obedience
• What is a strength of research into situational variables affecting obedience?

  • High level of control in research
  • Systematic alteration of one variable at a time
  • Greater confidence in establishing cause and effect
• What does the contradictory evidence in Milgram's research suggest about obedience?

  It suggests that personality factors may also play a role in obedience
• What percentage of participants in Milgram's original research did not obey up to 450 volts?

  35%
• How does the dispositional explanation for obedience differ from situational explanations?

  It focuses on individual personality traits, like authoritarian personality
• What limitation does the Holocaust present regarding proximity as a variable affecting obedience?

  Nazi soldiers were in close proximity to victims yet still obeyed orders
• What are the limitations of situational variables affecting obedience?

  • Contradictory evidence challenges their influence
  • Personality factors may also play a role
  • Proximity does not always lead to disobedience