Obedience

• What is authority in the context of obedience?


  Power or right to give orders
• What is obedience?

  Following direct orders from authority
• What are situational variables in the context of obedience?

  Environmental changes affecting behavior
• What are the four types of situational variables affecting obedience?

  Proximity of authority, proximity of victim, location, uniforms
• How does the proximity of the authority figure affect obedience?

  Closer proximity increases obedience due to threat of reaction
• How does the proximity of the victim affect obedience?

  Further proximity decreases obedience due to witnessing consequences
• How does location affect obedience?

  Certain locations increase or decrease likelihood of obedience
• How do uniforms affect obedience?

  Uniforms increase obedience as they signify authority
• What is a social group?

  People who interact, share commonalities, and have a common identity
• What is a social hierarchy?

  Uneven power structure within a social group
• Who proposed the Legitimacy of Authority theory?

  Stanley Milgram
• What is the Legitimacy of Authority theory?

  People obey those above them in a social hierarchy due to respect for authority
• Who proposed the Agency Theory?

  Stanley Milgram
• What is the Agency Theory?

  People obey authority figures to avoid moral strain and responsibility
• What is moral strain?

  Conflict between obeying orders and dealing with consequences
• What is the autonomous state?

  Acting out of free will and taking responsibility
• What is the agentic state?

  Acting as an agent and following orders
• What does the Agency Theory ignore?

  Personal characteristics affecting obedience
• Who proposed the Authoritarian Personality theory?

  Adorno
• What is the Authoritarian Personality theory?

  Some people are more likely to obey authority due to strict parenting
• What is the F-scale?

  Test for authoritarian personality
• What was Milgram's aim in his experiment?

  Test obedience to authority against moral code
• What roles were participants always assigned in Milgram's experiment?

  Teacher
• What was the range of electric shocks in Milgram's experiment?

  15V to 450V
• What were the reactions of the confederate in Milgram's experiment?

  Refusing, wanting to go home, screaming, banging, then silence
• What percentage of participants went up to 450V in Milgram's experiment?

  65%
• What percentage of participants went up to 300V in Milgram's experiment?

  100%
• Why does Milgram's experiment lack ecological validity?

  Unrealistic situation and awareness of being observed
• Why does Milgram's experiment lack population validity?

  May not generalize to women and has androcentric bias
• Why was Milgram's experiment considered unethical?

  Deception and distress caused to participants
• How does social support affect resistance to authority?

  Increases likelihood of disobedience
• What is locus of control?

  Belief in control over one's life
• How does internal locus of control affect obedience?

  More likely to resist authority
• How does external locus of control affect obedience?

  More likely to obey authority
• What are the key points of Milgram's experiment?

  • Aim: Test obedience to authority against moral code
  • Roles: Participant always teacher, confederate always student
  • Procedure: Administer electric shocks for wrong answers
  • Results: 65% went to 450V, 100% to 300V
  • Ethical issues: Deception, distress, lack of ecological and population validity
• What are the key points of the Agency Theory?

  • Proposed by Milgram
  • People obey authority to avoid moral strain
  • Autonomous state: Acting out of free will
  • Agentic state: Acting as an agent following orders
  • Ignores personal characteristics affecting obedience
• What are the key points of the Authoritarian Personality theory?

  • Proposed by Adorno
  • Some people more likely to obey authority due to strict parenting
  • Characteristics: Old-fashioned, judgmental, strict, dependent on hierarchy
  • Measured by F-scale (Fascist scale)
• What are the key points of locus of control?

  • Internal locus: Belief in control over one's life, more likely to resist authority
  • External locus: Belief in external control, more likely to obey authority
• What are the key points of situational variables affecting obedience?

  • Proximity of authority: Closer increases obedience
  • Proximity of victim: Closer decreases obedience
  • Location: Certain locations increase or decrease obedience
  • Uniforms: Increase obedience as they signify authority
• What are the key points of social support in resisting authority?

  • Having social support increases likelihood of disobedience
  • People are more likely to resist when not alone