Situational variables

Proximity of the victim

In the proximity variation the teacher and learner were in the same room

Obedience rate dropped from the original 65% to 40%

Proximity of the experimenter

Touch proximity- teacher had to force the learners hand onto an electroshock plate - if the learner refused to place it there himself after giving a wrong answer. Obedience dropped to a further 30%

Remote variation- experimenter left the room and gave instructions to the teacher by telephone

Obedience reduced to 20.5%

The participants also frequently pretended to give shocks

Decreased proximity allows

People to psychologically distance themselves from the consequence of their actions

When teacher and learner were physically separated the teacher was less aware of the harm they were causing to another person so they were more obedient

Location

Conducted a variation in a run down office block rather than in the prestigious Yale university - obedience fell to 47.5%

Prestigious Yale university gave Milgram’s study legitimacy and authority - participants were more obedient in this location because they perceived that the experimenter shared this legitimacy and that obedience was expected

However obedience was still high in the office block because the participants perceived the scientific nature of the procedure

Uniform

Experimenter wore a grey lab coat as a symbol of his authority

In one of the variations the experimenter was called away because of a telephone call and was taken over by an ordinary member of the public in everyday clothes rather than in a lab coat

Obedience rate dropped to 20%

Uniforms encourage because they are widely recognised symbols of authority

We accept that someone in a uniform is entitled to expect obedience because their authority is legitimate