Culture & Obedience

• individualistic traits


  -being dependent upon others is often considered shameful or embarrassing

  -independence is valued highly

  -individual rights take a centre stage

  -people often place a greater emphasis on standing out and being unique

  -people tend to be self-reliant

  -the rights of individuals tend to take a higher precedence

  -value autonomy
• collectivist traits


  -communication is often more indirect to avoid potential conflict or embarrassment

  -group loyalty is encouraged

  -decisions are based on whats best for the group

  -compromise is favoured when a decision needs to be made

  -working as a group and supporting others is essential

  -greater emphasis is placed on common goals than on individual pursuits

  -the rights of families and communities come before those of the individual
• obedience

  collectivistic cultures are interdependent, so theoretically obedience should be higher than independent individualistic cultures
• Frey et al (2020)

  -using track and trace data during lockdown, collectivistic countries showed less in-country mobility that individualistic countries

  -this was particularly true for non-essential travel in individualistic countries

  -these countries had the same government stringent lockdown measures/policy, so it seems that individualistic countries were more defiant/less obedient during the COVID-19 pandemic!
• Australia - Kilham and Mann(1974) - individualistic


  -overall obedience 28%

  -on the face of it, it seems that individualistic cultures are less obedient as predicted

  -there may be a cultural effect for Australian people (females in particular) which leads to a higher level of resistance to obedience, when in a moral situation

  -or results could be due to female teachers siding with the female learner against the male teacher. the procedure was different to Milgram's in that the learner was the same sex as the teacher, so it is not a direct replication making cross cultural comparison difficult
• Jordan - Shanab and Yahya (1977) - collectivistic


  -teachers were asked to administer an electric shock to learners who gave wn incorrect answer. the shock level increased each time as per Milgram

  -73% obeyed, suggesting that collectivistic cultures are more obedient.

  -However, Used children aged 6-16 years, who are less likely to say no to an adult

  -In 1978: used the Milgram paradigm on college students. Obedience dropped to 63%, compared to 65% in Milgrams study. Suggesting culture does NOT influence obedience.
• Italy - Ancona and Pareyson - individualistic


  -Milgram paradigm

  -85% obedience - but should be lower according to culture

  -probably due to lower maximum shock voltage of 330V - was this perceived to be less dangerous, than Milgrams 450V, and so more people obeyed?
• Blass (1999)

  no clear trend in the research to support culture influencing obedience
• In which country did Shanab & Yahya replicate Milgram's obedience study?

  Jordan
• Self-report data in cross-cultural research reduces validity
• The Milgram study lacks temporal validity because it was conducted in the 1960s and1980s.
• Match the type of culture with its characteristic:

  Collectivist ↔️ Group decision highly valued

  Individualistic ↔️ Independent success valued
• In which country were conformity levels higher in Smith & Bond's study?

  China
• In individualistic cultures, obedience is lower because it conflicts with personal principles
• Meta-analysis by Blass showed that cultural differences significantly affect obedience levels.

  False
• Which culture is more likely to excuse harmful actions if ordered by authority?

  Japan