Obedience: Situational variables

• What were Milgram's variations measuring situational variables?

  Location

  Proximity

  Uniform
• What was the baseline % of obedience (from Milgram's original study)

  65% obedience rate
• What were the findings from the proximity variation?

  • Teacher and learner in same room- 40% obedience rate
  • Teacher forces hand on electroshock plate- 30%
  • Phone orders- 20.5%
• What were the findings from the location variation?

  • Study in run-down building
  • 47.5% obedience rate
• What were the findings from the uniform variation?

  • Experimenter played by member of public (confed)- 20%
  • Instead of experimenter wearing a lab coat to signify authority
• What research supports the influence of situational variables on obedience? (AO3)

  • Bickman (1974), field experiment
  • 3 confederates dressed in different outfits:
  • Jacket and tie, milkman outfit, security guard uniform
  • Confeds stood in street and asked passers-by to pick up litter or give a coin for the parking metre
  • People 2x likely to obey when uniform was security guard, therefore supports idea uniform can convey authority and produces obedience
• What is a limitation of Milgram's original study? (AO3)

  • Orne and Holland criticise that many ppts could tell the procedure was fake and so results were simply a result of demand characteristics (likely due to the extra manipulation from experimenter)
  • Idea is reinforced by the replication of the experimenter as a member of public
  • Situation was so contrived/lack of mundane realism that ppts were likely to have worked out the aims and behaved accordingly
  • Limitation as results cannot be said to directly measure obedience and be generalised to real life apps
• What is a strength of Milgram's research and variations?

  • Cross cultural replications that have revealed similar findings
  • Miranda et al- obedience rates over 90% amongst Spanish students
  • Suggests Milgram's conclusions about obedience aren't limited to American males
• What is an issue with cross cultural replications relating to Milgram's research?

  • Smith and Bond highlight that most replications occurred in western, developed societies (e.g. spain and australia)
  • Don't largely differ culturally to the USA
  • Premature to conclude Milgram's findings are universal
• What is a further limitation of Milgram's variations to do with the obedience alibi?

  • David Mandel criticises that proximity, location and uniform as situational influences of obedience are problematic
  • These offer an excuse/alibi for evil behaviour
  • E.g. **