situational variables: obedience

• the 3 situational variables are: proximity, location and uniform.
• PROXIMITY - SAME ROOM VARIATION:

  • teacher and learner are in the same room - original they could not see one another, only hear eachother.
  • obedience rate = 40%.
  • why? - being able to see the learner humanises them, makes the decision more morally conflicting.
• PROXIMITY - TOUCH PROXIMITY:

  • teacher has to force the learner's hand onto an electroshock plate when they didn't answer a question, or got it wrong.
  • obedience rate = 30%
  • why? - they will physically feel any resistence made by the learner, more of a forceful action.
• PROXIMITY - ORDERS OVER THE PHONE:

  • experimenter leaves the room, gives intructions over the phone.
  • called remote instruction.
  • often gave weaker shocks than they were meant to or pretended to give shocks.
  • obedience rate = 20%
  • why? - less intimidated by an authoritarian if they cannot see them.
• LOCATION VARIATION:

  • changed the setting from a university to a run down building.
  • obedience rate = 47.5%
  • why? - yale gives a higher sense of authority.
• UNIFORM VARIATION:

  • experimenter is called away by a phone call, role of experimenter was taken by an 'ordinary member of the public' played by a confederate - wearing everyday clothes.
  • obedience rate = 20%
  • why? - uniform itself is a symbol of authority.
• STRENGTH - RESEARCH SUPPORT:

  • Bickman.
  • has 3 confederates dress in 3 different outfits, stand in the street and ask passers to perform tasks like picking up litter.
  • outfits: jacket and tie, milkman's outift and security guard uniform.
  • passers were twice as likely to obey security guard than jacket and tie.
• STRENGTH - CONTROL OF VARIABLES:

  • Milgram's variations is that he changed one variable at a time, like proximity to see the effect on obedience.
  • everything else in the study remained the same over and over.
  • it means we can be sure that the change in situational variable was the factor that affected obedience.
• STRENGTH - CROSS-CULTURAL REPLICATIONS:

  • Miranda et al - obedience rate over 90% in spanish students.
  • suggests Milgram's findings are not limited to just americans.