Situational Variables

• Situational Variables


  features of the social and physical environment which may influence a persons behaviour
• Situational variables - Proximity


  • The teacher and learner were in the same room

  • Obedience rate dropped to 40%

  • Touch proximity where teacher had to force learners hand on to the plate

  • Obedience dropped to 30%

  • Remote instruction experimenter left the room and gave instructions via telephone

  • Obedience reduced to 20%
• Situational Variables - location


  • In a run down office block rather than a university

  • Obedience reduced to 47%

  The study had less legitimacy and authority
• Situational variables - uniform


  • Experimenter wore everyday clothes rather than a lab coat

  • Obedience reduced to 20%

  They have less legitimacy and authority
• AO3 Situational Variables

  Strength

  P - There is research support for Uniform effecting obedience

  E - in a field experiment in NYC there were three confederates on the street. One dressed in a jacket and tie, one in a milkman’s outfit and one in a security guard uniform. They asked passers buy to pick up litter or hand over a coin. People were twice as likely to obey the security guard over the jacket and tie

  C - supports the view that uniform effects obedience levels

   

  Weakness

  P - the variations had low internal validity

  E - the participants could have believed the situations were fake, especially the ‘member of the public’ one

  C - it’s hard to know if the findings are due to obedience or if the participants were just responding to demand characteristics