Situational explanations

• What does the term 'agent' refer to in the context of obedience?

  An agent is someone who acts for or in place of another
• What emotional experience do agents feel when they realize their actions are wrong?

  They experience high anxiety, referred to as 'moral strain'
• What is the opposite of being in an agentic state?

  Being in an autonomous state
• What does autonomy mean in the context of obedience?

  Autonomy means to be independent or free
• What is the agentic shift?

  The shift from autonomy to agency when perceiving someone as an authority figure
• What role does an authority figure play in the agentic shift?

  An authority figure has greater power due to their higher position in a social hierarchy
• What are binding factors in the context of Milgram's study?

  Binding factors are aspects of the situation that allow a person to ignore or minimize the damaging effects of their behavior
• How did Milgram propose individuals cope with moral strain?

  By shifting responsibility to the victim or denying the damage they are causing
• What is the legitimacy of authority?

  It refers to the accepted power held by individuals in certain positions within society
• Why do people accept the authority of figures like parents and teachers?

  Because it allows society to function smoothly
• What is one consequence of the legitimacy of authority?

  Some people are granted the power to punish others
• How do we learn to accept legitimate authority?

  From childhood, initially from parents and then from teachers and adults
• What is destructive authority?

  When legitimate authority is used for destructive purposes
• How was destructive authority demonstrated in Milgram's study?

  The Experimenter used prods to order participants to behave against their consciences
• What are the strengths and limitations of Milgram's research on obedience?

  Strengths:

  • Supports the role of the agentic state in obedience
  • Participants often asked about responsibility

  
  

  Limitations:

  • Agentic shift does not explain all obedience findings
  • Some participants remained autonomous despite authority
• What did Milgram's participants often ask during the experiment?

  They often asked, "Who is responsible if Mr. Wallace (the Learner) is harmed?"
• What did Milgram's findings suggest about responsibility and obedience?

  Participants acted more easily as the Experimenter's agent when they perceived they were not responsible for their behavior
• What did Rank and Jacobson's study (1977) find regarding nurses and obedience?

  16 out of 18 hospital nurses disobeyed orders from a doctor
• How does the behavior of German Reserve Police Battalion 101 challenge the agentic state explanation?

  They shot civilians despite not having direct orders, behaving autonomously
• What does the legitimacy explanation account for in obedience studies?

  • Cultural differences in obedience
  • Variations in obedience rates across different countries
  • How societal structures influence perceptions of authority
• What did Kilham and Mann (1974) find about Australian women's obedience in a Milgram-style study?

  Only 16% went all the way up to 450 volts
• What did Mantell (1971) find regarding German participants in a Milgram-style study?

  85% of German participants went all the way up to 450 volts
• What does the difference in obedience rates between cultures suggest?

  In some cultures, authority is more likely to be accepted as legitimate
• What limitation does the legitimacy explanation have regarding disobedience?

  It cannot explain instances of disobedience in a clear hierarchical structure
• What does the behavior of some Milgram's participants suggest about obedience?

  Some people may be more or less obedient than others
• What are the key concepts related to Milgram's study on obedience?

  • Agentic state
  • Autonomous state
  • Agentic shift
  • Binding factors
  • Legitimacy of authority
  • Destructive authority