Explanations of Obedience

Explanations of Obedience

1. Agentic State

   • When people behave on the behalf of an external authority so we feel less responisble
   • Teachers were concerned for learners welfare but when experimenter took responsiblity they felt less to blame and continued, 65% reached 450V
   • Confederate rebel variation in which 2 confederates refused to continue, therefore it was up to the ppt to continue, only 10% reached 450V
   • Milgram believed his ppts were just following orders and did not consider themselves responsible

2. Legitmate Authority (Only use bickman study)

   • We are socialised to recognise authority figures, we obey people who are higher than us in the social hierarchy
   • Bickman (74) dressed as civilian and gaurd and asked people to preform tasks in public such as move or litter.
   • 90% obeyed the guard, only 50% obeyed the citizen figure.
   • We are more inclined to obey authority figures

3. Gradual Commitment

   • This is agreeing to an order in small steps, each step shows an increase in the request.
   • Milgram put his shocks up by 15v each time there was a wrong answer given, up to 450V. 65% maxed
   • Teachers discretion variation study had no gradient of shocks and the teacher could use any level of voltage they wished, only 0.4% Maxed to 450V
   • It is harder to say no after carrying out previous requests

4. Buffers

   • Buffers protect us from seeing the consequences of our actions
   • Teacher and learner were originally in seperate rooms, the teacher couldn't see the learners struggle with the voltage. 65% Maxed to 450V
   • In the proximity and touching proximity study the learner and teacher were in the same room and in the touching proximity the teacher had to physical make the learner be shocked, obedience dropped to 40% when seeing consequences
   • People will obey if their consequences of their actions are hidden and they do not have to face them.

5. Explanation

6. Seen in original experiment

7. Support of a variation

8. Comment