Situational Factors

• Location:


  Procedure: Milgram moved his laboratory from Yale University to a run-down office block.

  Results: Obedience rates dropped from 65% down to 47.5%.
• Proximity:


  Procedure: Milgram varied how close the experimenter was to the naïve participant and how close the naïve participant and ‘learner’ were to each other.

  Results:

  ● When the naïve participant and the ‘learner’ were in the same room obedience rates dropped from 65% to 40%

  ● When the naïve participant was asked to place the ‘learner’s’ hand onto a shock plate directly, obedience rates dropped to 30%

  ● When the experimenter left the room and gave the naïve participant orders over the phone, obedience rates dropped to 20.5%
• Uniform:


  Procedure: Milgram had his experimenter wear regular everyday clothes rather than the white laboratory coat. Original baseline study - experimenter wore white laboratory coat signifying authority. Experimenters then wore regular everyday clothes, becoming ordinary.

  Results: Obedience rates dropped to 20%