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SITUATIONAL FACTORS. - Coggle Diagram
SITUATIONAL FACTORS.
EVALUATION.
Limited explanation – agentic shift doesn’t explain why some participants didn’t obey! Agentic shift predicted nurses should have shown levels of anxiety similar to Milgram but it wasn’t the case
Research support for agentic state – Students blamed the experiment rather than the participants as he was the legitimate authority.
Cultural differences – Kilham and Mann (1974) replicated Milgram’s study in Australia and found 16% went to the top voltage. Mantell (1971) found 85% of German participants went to the top voltage.
Legitimate authority can explain real life war crimes such as the My Lai massacre (as a result of the power heirachy in the US army)
The behaviour of the Nazis can not be explained in terms of authority and agentic state.
Mandel (1998) described an incident where German soldiers obeyed orders to shoot civilians in a town in Poland despite not having direct orders to d
Status of Location.
Milgram's obedience experiment was conducted at Yale, a prestigious university in America. The high status of the university gave the study credibility and respect in the eyes of the participants, thus making them more likely to obey.
When Milgram moved his experiment to a set of run down offices rather than the impressive Yale University obedience dropped to 47.5%. This suggests that status of location effects obedience.
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LEGITMATE AUTHORITY.
For us to obey a person they must have some kind of social power over us. We have to perceive a person as being in authority
Evidence.
- Original – Experimenter wore a lab coat and it took place in a prestigious setting. Would suggest to the participants that he had LA and should be obeyed. Could explain the 65%
- Change in setting – when the experiment moved to a run down office building rates dropped to 48%. Participants may not have perceived the experimenter as having LA due to the setting
- Remote authority – Rate dropped to 20%
- Most societies are hierarchal (parents, teachers and police officers hold authority over us). The authority they use is legitimate as it is argued by society, helping it to run smoothly. One of the consequences is that some people are granted the power to punish others.
- People tend to obey others if they recognise their authority as morally right and / or legally based (i.e. legitimate). This response to legitimate authority is learned in a variety of situations, for example in the family, school and workplace.
- With regard to Milgram' study the experimenter is seen as having legitimate authority as he has scientific status.
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AGENTIC SHIFT.
This is where we can deny personal responsibility for our actions as we have been ordered to behave in this way by someone else.
Evidence.
Original – Participants were actually told that the Uni would take responsibility. Would have made it easier to make the shift in their mind. Could explain the 65%
Touch proximity – As Participants actually had to force the learners hand it made it hard to undergo AS. Rate fell to 30%