SOCIAL INFLUENCE: obedience

• Who conducted the original obedience study in 1960?

  Stanley Milgram
• What was the main question Milgram sought to answer?

  Why did Germans support Hitler's actions?
• What was the sample size of Milgram's original study?

  40 male participants
• How were participants recruited for Milgram's study?

  Through newspaper adverts and flyers
• What age range did the participants in Milgram's study fall into?

  20 to 50 years
• What was the payment offered to participants in Milgram's study?

  $4.50
• What role did the confederate 'Mr. Wallace' play in the study?

  He was the 'learner'
• What was the task assigned to the 'teacher' in Milgram's study?

  Learning word pairs
• What was the starting shock level in Milgram's study?

  15 volts
• What happened when the learner reached 300 volts?

  The learner pounded on the wall
• What instruction did the experimenter give when the learner did not respond?

  An absence of response should be treated as a wrong answer
• What were the four standard 'prods' used by the experimenter?

  1. Please continue; 2. The experiment requires that you continue; 3. It is absolutely essential that you continue; 4. You have no other choice, you must go on
• What percentage of participants stopped at 300 volts?

  12.5%
• What percentage of participants continued to the highest shock level of 450 volts?

  65%
• What signs of tension did participants show during the study?

  Sweating, trembling, stuttering, and groaning
• What did Milgram ask psychology students to predict?

  Participants' behavior in the study
• What was the students' prediction about participants continuing to 450 volts?

  No more than 3% would continue
• How did participants feel after the study according to the follow-up questionnaire?

  84% felt glad to have participated
• What did Orne and Holland argue about the internal validity of Milgram's study?

  Participants didn't believe the setup was real
• What did Gina Perry's research confirm about Milgram's participants?

  Many expressed doubts about the shocks
• What did Sheridan and King find in their similar study?

  54% of males and 100% of females delivered shocks
• What does Milgram argue about the external validity of his study?

  The lab environment reflects real-life authority relationships
• What did Hofling et al. find in their study of nurses?

  High obedience to unjustified demands by doctors
• What was the main finding of the documentary 'Le Jeu de la Mort'?

  80% delivered maximum shocks to an unconscious man
• What does social identity theory suggest about obedience?

  Obedience is linked to group identification
• What did Haslam and Reicher analyze in Milgram's study?

  Behavior in response to the four prods
• What ethical issue did Diana Baumrind raise about Milgram's study?

  Deception of participants was a betrayal of trust
• What situational variable did Milgram explore after his original study?

  Proximity between teacher and learner
• What did Bickman's field experiment demonstrate?

  Uniforms influence obedience levels
• What limitation did Orne and Holland highlight about Milgram's variations?

  Participants may have realized the procedure was faked
• What did Miranda et al. find in their cross-cultural research?

  Over 90% obedience rate among Spanish students
• What caution did Smith and Bond raise about Milgram's findings?

  Most replications were in Western societies
• What is a limitation of Milgram's studies regarding obedience?

  Results may be due to deception awareness
• What is a general strength of Milgram's research regarding cross-cultural replications?

  • Findings replicated in other cultures
  • Supportive results from cross-cultural research
  • Example: 90% obedience in Spanish students
• Why is it premature to conclude Milgram's findings apply universally?

  Most replications are in Western societies
• What is a strength of Milgram's variations regarding control of variables?

  • Systematic alteration of one variable at a time
  • Consistent procedures across over 1000 participants
  • Allows clear observation of obedience effects
• What does the 'obedience alibi' refer to in Milgram's findings?

  Situational factors influence obedience behavior
• Who criticized the situational perspective of obedience?

  David Mandel
• What was Milgram's initial interest in obedience sparked by?

  The trial of Adolf Eichmann
• What is an 'agent' in Milgram's context?

  Someone who acts for another person