Situational Variables AO1

• Milgram conducted 5 main variations of his experiement:

  • Location
  • Uniform
  • Remote instruction
  • Proximity
  • Touch proximity
• In the original variation, the obedience rate was 65%.
• Proximity


  In this variation, the learner and teacher were in the same room, so the teacher could see the learner reacting to shocks. This variation had an obedience rate of 40% and it was concluded that obedience decreases because the teacher can see the learner reacting and in pain, which provokes emotion.
• Touch Proximity


  In this variation, the teacher had to force the learners hand onto a shock plate, in which the rate of obedience decreased to 30%, which is likely due to the physical touch provoking emotion.
• Remote Instructions


  In this variation, the experimenter was not in the room and gave instructions over the phone. Obedience dropped to 20.5% and participants lied about giving shocks. This highlights the importance of an authority figure for obedience.
• Location

  In this variation, the location which the experiment took place in changed from Yale university, to a run down building. Obedience decreased to 47.5%, showing that location has some effect on obedience.
• Uniform


  In this variation, the experimenter wore normal clothes, opposed to a lab coat. Obedience decreased to 20%, the greatest impact on the rate of obedience out of all variations. This shows that uniform of a lab coat shows authority and is important for obedience.