OBEDIENCE

• What are the two main explanations for obedience mentioned in the notes?

  Agentic state and legitimacy of authority
• What is meant by obedience?

  A form of social influence where an individual follows a direct order from an authority figure
• Who conducted a classic study demonstrating obedience to authority?

  Milgram
• What are the key differences between obedience and conformity?

  1. Obedience involves direct orders; conformity does not.
  2. Obedience is typically to someone with higher authority; conformity is to peers.
  3. Obedience is driven by a need to obey power; conformity is driven by a need to fit in.
  4. Obedience results in different behavior from the authority figure; conformity results in similar behavior to peers.
• What hypothesis did Milgram aim to test in his study?

  ‘Germans are different’ regarding obedience during the Holocaust
• How many male participants did Milgram recruit for his study?

  40 male participants
• What role did the confederates play in Milgram's study?

  One acted as the authority figure and the other as the learner
• What was the task assigned to the 'teacher' in Milgram's study?

  To administer increasingly strong electric shocks to the 'learner' for wrong answers
• What was the maximum voltage that participants were instructed to administer in Milgram's study?

  450 volts
• What percentage of participants continued to the maximum voltage in Milgram's baseline study?

  65%
• What did Milgram's findings suggest about ordinary people and authority?

  Ordinary people can be astonishingly obedient to authority, even to the point of inflicting harm
• What are the negative and positive evaluations of Milgram's study regarding internal validity?

  Negative:

  • Lacked experimental realism; participants may not have believed shocks were real.

  
  

  Positive:

  • Film evidence showed participants in distress; follow-up questionnaires indicated few doubts about the shocks.
• What evidence supports the agentic state explanation for obedience?

  • Dambrun and Vatiné (2010) found participants giving the most shocks attributed responsibility to the experimenter and victim.
  • Participants giving fewer shocks accepted personal responsibility.
• What is the agentic shift according to Milgram?

  It is the process of shifting responsibility for one's actions onto an authority figure
• How did participants typically respond when asked why they continued to administer shocks?

  They often said they were just following orders
• What is the legitimacy of authority in the context of obedience?

  • Authority figures are seen as legitimate due to societal agreement.
  • This legitimacy allows them to wield power and punish others.
  • Factors influencing legitimacy include socialization, context, and uniform.
• What did Milgram's variations reveal about legitimacy of authority?

  Obedience decreased when orders were given by a peer rather than a legitimate authority
• What was the obedience rate in Hofling et al.'s 1966 study with nurses?

  95%
• What are the strengths of the legitimacy of authority explanation for obedience?

  • Accounts for cultural differences in obedience.
  • Provides evidence from Milgram's variations showing the impact of perceived authority.
• What did Kilham and Mann (1974) find in their replication of Milgram's study in Australia?

  Only 16% of participants went all the way to the top of the voltage scale
• What happens to obedience levels when a peer gives orders instead of a legitimate authority figure?

  Obedience levels decrease significantly.
• What was the obedience level when Milgram moved the study to a run-down building in Bridgeport?

  Obedience levels dropped to 47.5%.
• How do cultural differences affect obedience according to the legitimacy of authority explanation?

  Different cultures have varying degrees of acceptance of authority, affecting obedience levels.
• What percentage of Australian participants went all the way to the top of the voltage scale in Kilham and Mann's study?

  Only 16% of Australian participants went all the way to the top.
• What did Mantell find regarding German participants in Milgram's study?

  85% of German participants went all the way to the top of the voltage scale.
• What criticism did David Mandel have regarding Milgram's research?

  He argued it provides an alibi for war criminals by suggesting ordinary people can commit atrocities under social pressure.
• What hypothesis did Milgram aim to test regarding obedience during the Second World War?

  He aimed to investigate whether situational context, rather than national character, influenced obedience.
• What situational variables did Milgram identify that affect obedience?

  • Proximity: Closeness of participant to learner and experimenter
  • Location: Prestige of the setting
  • Uniform: Authority conferred by wearing a uniform
• How does proximity affect obedience according to Milgram's findings?

  Increased proximity to the learner decreases obedience levels.
• What was the obedience level in Milgram's remote feedback condition?

  Obedience increased slightly to 66%.
• What was the obedience level when both teacher and learner were in the same room?

  Obedience levels fell to 40%.
• What was the obedience level in the touch proximity condition?

  Obedience dropped to 30%.
• How does location influence obedience in Milgram's studies?

  Obedience rates decrease when the study is moved to a less prestigious location.
• What was the obedience level when the study was moved to a run-down building in Bridgeport?

  Obedience levels dropped to 47.5%.
• What role does uniform play in obedience according to Milgram's findings?

  Wearing a uniform often confers legitimate authority, increasing obedience.
• What percentage of participants exhibited total obedience when an ordinary man took over the experimenter's role?

  Only 20% of participants exhibited total obedience.
• What are the situational variables affecting obedience identified by Milgram?

  • Proximity: Closeness to the learner and experimenter
  • Location: Prestige of the setting
  • Uniform: Authority conferred by uniforms
• What did Hofling et al. (1966) find regarding legitimacy of authority in their study with nurses?

  21 out of 22 nurses obeyed orders given over the phone, indicating the importance of legitimacy.
• What did Bickman (1974) find regarding uniforms and obedience?

  Participants were more likely to obey the experimenter dressed as a guard than those in civilian clothes.
• What methodological criticism did Greenstein (1969) have regarding the F-scale?

  He criticized it for having all items worded in the same direction, leading to acquiescence bias.