obedience

• milgrams research - shock test

  procedure:

  • 40 male ppts took part in an experiment on 'learning and punishment'.
  • ppts played the 'teacher, and confederate played the 'learner' and was an 'experimenter' in the room.
  • learner was 'shocked' each time they got an answer wrong, the shocks ranged from 15 volts to 450.
  • experimenter gave prods like 'please continue' to stay in experiment.

  findings:

  • no ppt stopped below 300 volts.
  • 65% administered the full 450 volts.
  • conceded the people are obedient even if they're causing harm .
• EVALUATION - milgram

  • P: has good external validity.
  • P: replications have supported findings.
  • N: lacked internal validity.
  • N: ethical issues.
• situational variables


  uniform:

  • more likely to obey a person in uniform, in comparison a person not wearing a uniform.
  • obedience dropped to 20% in Milgram study.

  location:

  • have to believe that location is a genuine setting in order to take place.
  • obedience decreased to 47%.

  proximity:

  • the closer we are to the consequences of our actions, the less likely we are to obey.
  • proximity variation - obedience decreased to 40%.
  • touch proximity variation - obedience decreased to 30%.
  • remote instruction proximity variation - obedience dropped to 20.5%.
• EVALUATION - situational variables

  • P: research support for the influence of situational variables - Bickman and Hofling.
  • P: has been replicated in other countries.
  • P: has control over variables.
  • N: may lack internal validity.
• explanations of authority - agentic state

  • an individual gives up their autonomy and moral responsibility to an authority figure and feel no personal responsibility.

  autonomous state:

  • individuals act on their own behalf and take responsibility for the consequences of their actions.

  agentic shift:

  • where one goes from the autonomous state to the agentic state.
• explanation of authority - legitimacy of authority

  • an authority figure must have some kind of social power over us, which is usually the power to punish.
  • authorities are perceived as legitimate in the sense that it is agreed by society.
• EVALUATION - explanations of authority

  agentic state:

  • P: has research support
  • N: cannot be explained in real life situations such as Nazis.

  legitimacy of authority:

  • P: useful account of cross-cultural differences in obedience.
  • P: can explain real life obedience.
  • N: can provide a justification for behaviours that are harming to others.
• the authoritarian personality - Adorno et al 1950

  • originates in childhood from 'harsh parenting'.
  • people with this personality have exaggerated respect for authority and followed strict adherence to social roles and hierarchies.

  procedure:

  • developed the F-scale in order to investigate attitudes towards racial groups of middle class white middle class americans.

  findings:

  • identified as strong people.
  • conscious of other status and showed excessive respect to those of a higher status.
  • extremely stereotypical.
• EVALUATION - authoritarian personality

  • P: support for the link between AP and obedience.
  • N: explanation is limited.
  • N: F-scale is politically biased.