AO1

• Situational variables

  • features of the immediate social and physical environment that may influence behaviour
• Uniform

  • Mr Williams wore a lab coat which gave him a high status (symbol of scientific expertise)
  • When mr Williams was “called away“ and the replacement experimenter wore everyday clothes obedience fell to 20%
• Location

  • The experiment was conducted at Yale. The high status of the school gave the study credibility and respect in the eyes of the Ppts
  • When the experiment was moved to a set of run down offices, obedience dropped to 47.5%
  • It won’t have been taken as seriously because it wasn’t seen as important or legitimate
• Proximity of authority figure

  • People are more likely to obey an authority figure nearby
  • In Milgrams original study the experimenter was in the same room
  • When the experimenter instructed and prompted the teacher by telephone obedience fell to 20.5%
  • Many Ppts cheated and missed out shocks or gave less voltage than ordered to by the experimenter
• Proximity of learner

  • When the teacher and learner were in the same room proximity fell to 40% - they could see pain and distress so felt guilt
  • When the teacher had to force the learners hand onto the shock plate obedience fell to 30% - they were more responsible for the pain caused
  • decreased proximity leads to higher levels of obedience because they can psychologically distance themselves