Conformity and Obedience Subtitle

Conforming to Assigned Roles (not conformity due to normative or informational influences) Zimbardo (1971) Stanford Prison Experiment (mock prison) Wanted to see if people would conform to assigned roles Prisoner Guard

Zimbardo (1971) How would people behave if they were put into positions of authority with unimpeded power? Would they willing use (abuse) the power given to them?

Flip of a Coin… Conducted in America, Stanford University Using 24 male students Paid $15 a day/£45 a day in 2016! Study was to last 1-2 weeks Randomly assigned the role of either Prisoner or Guard – coin flip

Like no other study… ‘Sent’ to prison: stripped, searched and deloused Participants were arrested by real police, taken to a real police station ‘Sent’ to prison: stripped, searched and deloused Prison clothing Given a number not a name Chain around their ankle

Like no other study… Guards wore military uniform Reflective sunglasses Carried keys, whistles, handcuffs and clubs On duty 24 hours Could employ ANY tactics to maintain order. ANY!

The Experiment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=760lwYmpXbc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0jYx8nwjFQ

Your Evaluations??

My Evaluations…

The Millgram Experiment Obedience The Millgram Experiment

Obedience to Authority One of the most famous studies - ever! Looked at conflict between obedience to authority and personal conscience Hot on the heels of the World War II, Nuremberg War trials ‘Just following orders’ justifications for acts of genocide by Germans during the Holocaust

Germans are Different Milgram (1963) wanted to investigate whether Germans were particularly obedient to authority figures.

“Could it be that Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders? Could we call them all accomplices?" (Milgram, 1974).

His Experiment… Advertised for male participants to take part in a study of learning at Yale Uni. Lots drawn ‘Learner/Teacher’ It was a Fix! Participant was always the ‘Teacher’

The Setup… One experimenter One ‘Teacher’ ~ participant One ‘Learner’ ~ confederate

Incorrect answers by the ‘learner’ resulted in an ‘electric shock’ Paired word game Incorrect answers by the ‘learner’ resulted in an ‘electric shock’ This was also a Fix! Shocks increased from 15 volts to 450 volts with every wrong answer 240 Volts = UK 240 Volts is UK domestc Eek! DEATH!

Prods Prod 1: Please continue or Please go on. Prod 2: The experiment requires that you continue. Prod 3: It is absolutely essential that you continue. Prod 4: You have no other choice, you must go on.

How Far Would They Go? ? ??

Predictions… "Before the experiments, I sought predictions about the outcome from various kinds of people - psychiatrists, middle-class adults, graduate students…they predicted that virtually all the subjects would refuse to obey the experimenter. The psychiatrist, specifically, predicted that most subjects would not go beyond 150 volts…They expected that only 4% would reach 300 volts, and that only a pathological fringe of about 1 in 1000 would administer the highest shock on the board".

How Many?

How Many? 65% continued to the highest level of 450 volts 100% continued to 300 volts

Obedience Experiment

Your Evaluations??

Factors Influencing Obedience

Agency Theory of Obedience

Obedience Flowchart