Social Psychology: Obedience

Key Study: Milgram (1963)

Everyday Examples of Obedience

Student sitting still and quiet in class when teacher is present.

Following the orders given to you by a parent.

Doing what your boss tells you to do.

What do all of these have in common?

The use of authority that is based in power.

Without power authority usually has little influence, and therefore the authority figure is of low standing.

Power: Some ideas

Weber: 3 sources of power - Charismatic (such as a popular leader

may have) Traditional (such as parents and elders in

a society have) Rational-Legal (such as police officers

have)

Milgrams’Agency Theory

People need to be able to switch between two states - Agentic and Autonomous - in modern organisations and groupings.

We are trained in these two states from early socialisation.

Thus the imperatives about the rightness of obedience are created.

The Agentic State

When in the Agentic State we redefine the meaning of the situation.

It is created through the use of a social bond. This occurs through -

The sequential nature of the action.

The use of an implicit social contract.

Feelings of anxiety if we break the bond.

Why do we not obey?

Past experience Being in an Autonomous State Disregard for the authority source Disregard for the authority figure Questioning the motives of authority

figure Exposure to disobedient models

The Procedure

The participant was paired with a colleague of Milgram (the stooge)

Thought they were taking part in an experiment on Memory / Learning

Electric Shock machine

slight/severe/danger: severe shock

Volts ranged between 15 - 450 volts

The Procedure

The participant (teacher) given a mild electric shock

Then stooge wired up to the electric shock machine in next room

The experiment began

The TASK

Teacher read series of word pairs

e.g. blue sky, green grass, red balloon

Learner had to memorise these

Teacher then reads out one word

e.g. Green …..

Learner to respond with the ‘pair match’

If a mistake was made

Teacher told to give electric shock to learner

Rising by 15 volts each mistake from 15 volts to 450 volts

What happened?

The participants shook, trembled, and sweated

They were pressed to continue

“You must go on”

“The experiment is important”

“Please continue|”

Read this up in any general text

e.g. R Gross, The Science of Mind & Behaviour

FOR MORE INFO...

What happened?

The learner shouted and yelled

He could be heard through the wall

He remained silent after 300 volts

How many went to 450 volts?

65% of participants went to 450 volts!

They would have followed orders

and

Killed the stooge for making too many mistakes!

Remembering Methodology ….

What was the dependent variable?

The DV

The level of shock the participant stopped at!

Was this experiment ethical?

What do you think?

IF YOU WERE A MEMBER OF THE ETHICS COMMITTEE

Would you let Milgram do it again?

Did the ends justify the means?

Was the knowledge gained worth the pain of the participants?

How can we decide this question?

Why did Ps Obey?

Location of study. Worthy purpose of study. Leaner had volunteered. P made social bond with E. Payment. Ps told that shocks were not painful.

Concerns

Ethics (deception, harm to Ps, informed consent)

Ecological Validity (does the study tell us anything about obedience in everyday life?)

Social Determinism (the social environment creates obedience in the P)