Research into Obedience

Milgram’s Obedience to Authority

Stanley Milgram’s experiment: Involved instructing ‘teachers’ to administer electric shocks to ‘learners’, with obedience indicated if the teacher proceeded up to 450 volts.
65% obedience rate: In Milgram’s original study, 40 participants obeyed the instructions of the experimenter, with 65% continuing to the maximum voltage.
Agentic State Theory: Milgram suggested that people go into an ‘agentic state’ where they allow authority to assume responsibility.
Legitimate Authority: Milgram also suggested obedience is conditioned in people as they grow up to comprehend that some people have a legitimate right to dictate others’ behaviours.

Hofling’s real-world study on obedience

Hofling’s Nurse Study: Nurses received a phone call from an unknown doctor instructing them to administer a medication. Most nurses (21 of 22) complied without questioning, demonstrating real-world obedience.
Criticisms: This study has been criticised for potential ethical breaches, including deception and inducing stress in participants.

Factors Influencing Obedience

Proximity: Milgram found that physical proximity to the authority figure and the victim influences obedience rates.
Location: The legitimacy of the location (e.g., a reputable university versus a downtown office) also impacts obedience.
Uniform: Presence of an authoritative uniform can induce obedience, this was demonstrated in a variation of Milgram’s study.

Cultural Differences in Obedience

Cultural variability in obedience: Rates of obedience vary between cultures depending on how much they value authority and obedience; individualistic versus collectivist cultures.
Research evidence: Cross-cultural research has shown higher rates of obedience in collectivist cultures like Spain compared to individualistic cultures, aligning with the cultural dimension theory.

The Blass study

Blass meta-analysis: Reviewed obedience experiments and reaffirmed Milgram’s findings. Most people are obedient to authority, even when harming someone else.
Factors affecting obedience: Blass found the same factors found by Milgram to significantly influence obedience: proximity, location, and authority of the person giving orders.