A03

• * evidence to support findings from hoflings nurses?

  • experiment where doctor (who wears uniform) asked nurses to give larger dosage of drug to patients that could kill them
  • 20/21 nurses obeyed due to doctors wearing uniform causing nurses to perceive them as a legitimate authority figure
  • shows uniform is sign of legitimacy in society
  • makes d.o occur even if order is unjust/immoral
• X critique of methodology?

  • as field experiment bickmans fidings may have more relevance to situational variables than lab studies by milgram
  • his research was in controlled artificial environment lacking natural behaviour from p
  • bickmans research conducted in real world making it more ecologically valid
  • ecological
  • milgrams variation does not provide empirical evidence for factors affecting obedience
• X unethical?

  • p were unaware of true aim of study
  • were told study was about punishment & learning when it was about obedience to authority
  • breaks deception
  • could not give fully informed consent
  • p suffered great deal of stress breaks protection from harm - believed were harming someone
  • may be more ethical ways to investigate & see which factors affect levels of obedience
• X lacks ecological validity?

  • milgrams variations conducted in controlled setting using artificial task
  • experimenter gave instructions via phone call telling p to give electric shock for incorrect response
  • orne & holland claim that his study lacks experimental realism
  • 75% in variations assumed that victim was not really hurt
  • results cannot be generalised to impacts of variables on real life obedience levels
• * evidence to support uniform from bickman?

  • conducted field experiment where confederate dressed in either casual jacket/milkman uniform/security guard jacket
  • asked real p in park to pick up litter
  • more obedience when wearing security uniform (76%)
  • when wearing casual jacket obedience was 30%
  • mans uniform made him appear more/less like legitimate authority
  • empirical evidence for uniform
  • shows how uniform can impact levels of obedience in real world