Milgram And Adorno: Explanations For Obedience

• What did Milgram's study aim to test regarding authority figures?

  It aimed to test obedience to authority figures.
• What percentage of participants in Milgram's study were willing to administer deadly shocks?

  65%
• What was the initial hypothesis about obedience according to psychologists before Milgram's findings?

  Only a few psychotic individuals would obey.
• How did Milgram's findings challenge previous beliefs about obedience?

  They showed high obedience in ordinary people.
• What were the key features of Milgram's original obedience experiment?

  • Participants believed they were in a memory study.
  • They were assigned roles of teacher and learner.
  • Electric shocks were administered for wrong answers.
  • Authority figure was a scientist in a lab coat.
• What role did the Confederates play in Milgram's experiment?

  They acted as learners and scientists.
• What psychological state did Milgram suggest participants entered when obeying orders?

  Agentic state
• What was the maximum voltage participants could administer in the experiment?

  450 volts
• What is the opposite of the agentic state according to Milgram?

  Autonomous state
• How does socialization affect the legitimacy of authority?

  It teaches us whom to respect and obey.
• What visual symbols can increase the legitimacy of authority?

  Uniforms
• How did Milgram vary the proximity of the authority figure in his experiments?

  By giving instructions over the telephone.
• What was the obedience rate when the authority figure was distant?

  21%
• What effect did changing the location to a rundown office have on obedience?

  Obedience dropped to 47.5%.
• What happened to obedience rates when the authority figure wore plain clothes?

  Obedience dropped to 20%.
• What are some criticisms of Milgram's research methodology?

  • Lacks mundane realism.
  • Lacks ecological validity.
  • Gender bias in sample.
  • Participants may have guessed the aims.
• What is a counter-dispositional explanation for obedience suggested by Adorno?

  Authoritarian personality influences obedience.
• What are the strengths of Milgram's experimental methodology?

  • High level of control.
  • Standardized procedures.
  • Reliable results across contexts.
• What was the obedience rate for participants up to 300 volts?

  100%
• What did participants hear from the learner during the experiment?

  Cry out in pain and plead for help.
• How did Milgram's experiment demonstrate the power of authority figures?

  Participants obeyed orders despite moral objections.
• What does Adorno suggest about obedience and personality?

  Not all people can display extreme obedience
• Who proposed the concept of the authoritarian personality?

  Adorno
• What is a key characteristic of individuals with an authoritarian personality?

  Excessive respect for higher social status
• What are the methodological strengths of Milgram's experiment?

  • Use of standardized procedures
  • High level of control
  • Clear instructions for replication
• What did Milgram's experiment find regarding obedience across countries?

  Results were reliable across countries
• What ethical criticisms are associated with Milgram's study?

  Participants suffered emotional distress
• How did the study by Hofling support Milgram's findings?

  Nurses complied with dangerous orders over the phone
• What did Bickman's field experiment reveal about uniforms and obedience?

  Uniforms increase perceived legitimacy of authority
• What does Adorno's F-scale measure?

  Authoritarian personality traits
• What was the outcome of the Sheridan and King study?

  All female participants shocked the puppy
• What are the nine factors measured by the F-scale?

  • Authoritarian submission
  • Power and toughness
  • Conventionalism
  • Anti-intraception
  • Superstition and stereotypy
  • Power and toughness
  • Destructiveness and cynicism
  • Projectivity
  • Sex
• How does Adorno's theory explain obedience differently from Milgram's theory?

  Adorno focuses on personality traits, not situations
• What is a criticism of the F-scale questionnaire?

  It may have acquiescence bias
• Why is using the authoritarian personality as an explanation for obedience considered overly simplistic?

  It ignores social structures and peer pressure
• What did Milgram's findings reveal about individual variations in obedience?

  35% resisted the authority figure
• What is the main focus of Adorno's theory regarding obedience?

  Dispositional factors influencing obedience
• What are the limitations of using correlation to study authoritarian personality?

  • Cannot establish cause and effect
  • Other factors may influence results
  • Ethical issues in randomized trials
• What is the significance of the findings from Milgram's and Adorno's studies?

  They highlight the complexity of obedience
• Who supported Milgram's findings with the F-scale results?

  Elms