Situational Factors affecting obedience, follow up studies

What are the 3 situational factors affecting obedience?

1. Proximity

2. Location

3. Uniform

How did they change Proximity in Milgram’s follow up study?

• If the learner was in the same room as the teacher giving the shocks.

• If the teacher had to force the hand of the learner onto the electric shock plate.

• If the experimenter gave the orders to the teacher over the telephone.

What were the effects of Proximity?

Teacher and learner were in the same room = obedience fell.

Teacher forced learners hand onto the plate = obedience fell.

When the orders were over the phone = obedience fell the most.

How did they change Location in Milgram’s follow up study?

• If the study was carried out in a run-down office building.

What were the effects of Location?

Original study - Yale University = Many said they wouldn’t have shocked the learner if the study had been carried out elsewhere.

Follow up study - a run-down office in Bridgeport, Connecticut = Obedience rates dropped slightly, NOT SIGNIFICANT difference.

How did they change Uniform in Milgram’s follow up study?

Original study - Experimenter with lab coat.

Milgram follow up - lab coat replaced by ordinary clothes.

Obedience = 20%.

What were the effects of Uniform in Bushman’s study?

Police uniform - 72% Obedience

Business executive - 52%

Beggar - 48%

Evaluating Milgram’s Obedience research - weaknesses.

• Biased sample

• Ethical issues - lack of informed consent

• Ethical issues - deception

• Ethical issues - protection from harm

• Ethical issues - right to withdraw

• Lack of internal validity