obedience

• milgrams study aim

  -pps thought it was an experiment on memory

  -real aim was to see if people would obey the orders of an authority figure even if there was fatal consequences
• milgrams study method

  -lab experiment

  -IV= structured observation DV=voltage shock

  -40 men aged 20-50 selected through sampling

  -questioned a confederate and shocked them at each wrong answer

  -same recording for each pp

  -told they werent responsible

  -65% obeyed up to 450v
• where did milgrams study take place

  yale university
• which role did the experimenter play?

  instructing the participant (teacher)
• what role did the confederate play?

  pretending to be shocked (learner)
• what things did the authority figure say to the teacher when they didnt want to shock the learner?

  1. please continue
  2. the experiment requires you to continue
  3. its essential to continue
  4. you have to continue
• why cant milgrams study be generalised?

  Milgrams study cant be generalised as all participants were white male, meaning the study isnt an accurate representation for all.
• why is milgrams study reliable

  its a lab experiment which means it is easy to replicate. this is because it had clear standardised procedures. Which enables the findings to be questioned and the study to be tested for consistency.
• what practical applications do milgrams study have?

  it helps explain atrocities like the genocide of the jews in WW2. the blind obedience can be explained by the situation we find ourselves in and how we are pushed into the agentic state.
• is milgrams studys valid?

  it lacks ecological validity. this is because it took place in an artificial environment and we must be careful when generalising this to the real world. the task was also artifical as its not everyday we find ourselves shocking people
• loss of uniform in milgrams study

  -the experimenter didnt wear a white coat and looked ordinary

  -obedience dropped to 20%

  -people arent viewed as important as they wore regular clothing so lost all authority
• location in milgrams study

  -experiment moved from yale univeristy to a run down office block

  -obedience went to 48%

  -the experimenter had less authority as they werent viewed as important in such an unprofessional environment
• proximity in milgrams study

  close: learner moved in the same room

  -40% obedience

  -more pressure

  absent:

  -23% obedience

  -less pressure
• there is naturalistic support for legitimacy of authority

  bickmans experiment where 92% of pedestrians obeyed an order to give a stranger money for parking when dressed in uniform however this dropped to 40% without uniform. this shows people associate uniform with authority and will obey.
• why is agency theory is reductionist

  it doesnt consider any other explainations for obedience. it can depend on the type and amount of social power held by the authority figure. another theory is social identity theory which suggests that obedience occurs when we identify with the group giving the orders.
• 'might is right' - AP

  -believing youre superior

  -having insecurities

  -strong sense of right and wrong
• 'upbringing' - AP

  -adorno suggested a harsh upbringing causes anger and hostility towards parents

  -anger is repressed causing them to be submissive to authority figures

  -obeying destructive orders
• 'personality traits' - AP

  -rigid beliefs in conventional values

  -hostility towards other groups

  -inflexible outlook

  -respect for authority figures
• 'f-scale' - AP

  -30 questions to measure authoritarian personality

  -9 dimensions of personality is measures
• AP theory has experimental support helping us to explain obedience (elms and milgram)

  -they looked at the people who obeyed in milgrams study

  -tested them on the f-scale

  -they saw that people who scored higher on that were more likely to have an AP personality.

  -showing that people with AP will obey and this can lead to unfortunate consequences
• this explaination of obedience is much easier to measure than other theories

  the f-scale provides a measurable explaination whereas the agentic state isnt measurable as its unconscious, therefore its unfalsifiable as youre either in it or youre not.
• the AP explaination was developed from a single american sample

  this createss a problem as it cant be generalised to everyone. this means that it doesnt explain the authoritarian personality for everyone. implying that the AP is ethnocentric.
• the AP theory is reductionist because...

  it doesnt consider situational explainations like the agency theory. which is where youre either in a state of free will or one where youre working like an agent. which means what it doesnt include all factors.
• someone with an authoritarian personality is..

  -dogmatic

  -rigid

  -absolute to their belief

  -resistant

  -cynical

  -inferior