situational explanations of obediance

• Situational variables are aspects of the environment which might affect the participants behaviour e.g. noise, temperature
• After Milgram’s original study, he carried out a large number of variations to investigate the role of situational variables that may increase or decrease obedience
• • Touch proximity - The teacher was required to force the learners hand onto the shock plate. Reduced obedience – 30% went to 450 volts
• • Learner proximity - The teacher and the learner were in the same room so the teacher was able to see the reactions of the learner. Reduced obedience – 40% went to 450 volts
• experimenter proximity - After giving the pps instructions, the experimenter left the room and gave the rest of the orders over the telephone. Reduced obedience – 20% went to 450 volts
• two peers rebel - 3 pps (2 confederates and 1 real pp) shared the task of teaching the learner. At a certain point in the experiment, the 2 confederates refuse to continue.

  Reduced obedience – 20% went to 450 volts
• Different location - The experiment was conducted in a run-down office block, rather than at Yale University

  Obedience decreased – 48% went to 450 volts
• uniform - The experimenter was called away at the start of the procedure and the role of the experimenter was taken over by an ‘ordinary member of the public’ (a confederate) in everyday clothing

  Obedience reduced – 20% went to 450 volts
• Bickman -

  • Conducted a field experiment in new York city where 3 confederates dressed in 3 different outfits: jacket and tie, milkman's outfit and a security guards uniform.
  • The confederates stood on the street and asked passers by to perform tasks such as picking up litter.
  • People were twice as likely to obey the confederate dressed as a security guard than the one in a jacket and tie.
• strength -

  Bickman's experiment shows that people are more likely to obey an authority figure if their uniform conveys authority e.g. a security guard compared to a milkman

  This supports the explanation that situational factors have influence obedience and an authoritative uniform increases obedience.
• weakness -

  It has been argued that the participants may have figured out the shocks were not real and this is even more likely with the added variations (especially the member of the public variation!)

  This reduces the internal validity of the results as the participants may have changed their behaviour if they believed the shocks were not real
• strength -

  The research on situational variables using Milgram's study has been replicated in other cultures e.g. in France (Game of death – 80%) and Spain (90%)

  Suggests the conclusions about obedience are not limited to Americans and can be found in other cultures and we can therefore explain obedience using situational factors universally