situational variables affecting obedience

• define situational variables?

  • refers to features of a setting/environment that influences behaviour
• name 3 situational variables?

  1. proximity
  2. uniform
  3. location
• proximity?

  • original - experimenter was in same room as p to give instructions - 65% obeyed to give 450v
  • variation - experimenter gave instructions via phone call
  • obedience rates dropped to 20% for 450v
• link proximity situational explanation?

  • agentic shift is less likely to occur when proximity between person giving & receving orders is greater
  • leads to lower levels of obedience
  • if you are far away from person giving order you are less likely to see them as responsible for your actions
  • remain autonomous
• uniform?

  • original - experimenter wore grey lab coat - 65% obeyed to give 450v
  • variation - orders given by confederate wearing ordinary clothes
  • obedience rates dropped to 20%
• link uniform to situational explanations?

  • uniforms are used in society to notify us who is in position of responsibility such as those in police/security guard
  • obedience increases when uniform indicates legitimate authority
• location?

  • original - yale uni - prestigious environment
  • variation - in run down offices in working class of bridgeport
  • obedience rates dropped from 65% to 47.5%
• link location to situational explanations?

  • some locations increase/decrease legitimacy of authority
  • if order comes from location linked with legitimacy it is likely it will obeyed in comparison to less legitimate location
• 3 X of situational variables affecting obedience?

  1. critique of methodology
  2. lacks ecological validity
  3. unethical
• * evidence to support findings from hoflings nurses?

  • experiment where doctor (who wears uniform) asked nurses to give larger dosage of drug to patients that could kill them
  • 20/21 nurses obeyed due to doctors wearing uniform causing nurses to perceive them as a legitimate authority figure
  • shows uniform is sign of legitimacy in society
  • makes d.o occur even if order is unjust/immoral
• X critique of methodology?

  • as field experiment bickmans fidings may have more relevance to situational variables than lab studies by milgram
  • his research was in controlled artificial environment lacking natural behaviour from p
  • bickmans research conducted in real world making it more ecologically valid
  • ecological
  • milgrams variation does not provide empirical evidence for factors affecting obedience
• 2 * of situational variables?

  1. evidence to support role uniform plays from bickman
  2. evidence to support from hofling
• * evidence to support uniform from bickman?

  • conducted field experiment where confederate dressed in either casual jacket/milkman uniform/security guard jacket
  • asked real p in park to pick up litter
  • more obedience when wearing security uniform (76%)
  • when wearing casual jacket obedience was 30%
  • mans uniform made him appear more/less like legitimate authority
  • empirical evidence for uniform
  • shows how uniform can impact levels of obedience in real world
• X lacks ecological validity?

  • milgrams variations conducted in controlled setting using artificial task
  • experimenter gave instructions via phone call telling p to give electric shock for incorrect response
  • orne & holland claim that his study lacks experimental realism
  • 75% in variations assumed that victim was not really hurt
  • results cannot be generalised to impacts of variables on real life obedience levels
• X unethical?

  • p were unaware of true aim of study
  • were told study was about punishment & learning when it was about obedience to authority
  • breaks deception
  • could not give fully informed consent
  • p suffered great deal of stress breaks protection from harm - believed were harming someone
  • may be more ethical ways to investigate & see which factors affect levels of obedience
• what is proximity?

  • distance between person giving & receiving orders