Social Influence
- Situational Explanations of Obedience
Agentic State (AO1)
- When we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour, because we believe to be
acting under an authoritative figure
Autonomous State (AO1)
- A person is acting under their own principles and not under authority
Binding factors (AO1)
- Aspects of a situation that allow a person to minimise the damaging effects of their
behaviour e.g. denying responsibility for damage done to someone
Legitimacy of authority (AO1)
- We are more likely to obey people who demonstrate more authority such as power
Research Support (Strength) (AO3)
- Milgram’s study on obedience shows the role of agentic state
- Most participants continued with the shocks when the Experimenter told them that he
is responsible if the learner gets harmed
- Therefore, they felt no longer responsible for their own behaviour, even if they learner
was ‘hurt’
Limited explanation of Agentic Shift (Limitation) (AO3)
- The Agentic Shift doesn’t many finding about obedience. For example, it doesn't
explain the findings of Rank and Jacobson’s study (1977)
- They found that 16/18 hospital nurses disobeyed order from a doctor to administer
executive drugs to a patient
- It shows all nurses remained autonomous, which suggest that the agentic shift can
only account for certain situations of obedience
Explain cultural differences (Strength) (AO3)
- Legitimacy of Authority accounts for cultural differences in obedience
- For example, Kilham and Mann (1974) found that only 16% of Australian women
went to 450 volts in an Milgram-style study
- Whereas Mantell (1971) found 85% of German participants went up to 450 volts
- This shows that in some cultures authority is more accepted as legitimate and
reflects how individuals act in different societies
Cannot explain all dis(obedience) (Limitation) (AO3)
- Legitimacy cannot explain all instances of disobedience in a hierarchy where
authority is clear and accepted
- Such as with the nurses not obeying the doctors when they should usually accept the
order all the time
- This can suggest that innate tendencies have greater influence on behaviour in life or
death situations
- Situational Explanations of Obedience
Agentic State (AO1)
- When we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour, because we believe to be
acting under an authoritative figure
Autonomous State (AO1)
- A person is acting under their own principles and not under authority
Binding factors (AO1)
- Aspects of a situation that allow a person to minimise the damaging effects of their
behaviour e.g. denying responsibility for damage done to someone
Legitimacy of authority (AO1)
- We are more likely to obey people who demonstrate more authority such as power
Research Support (Strength) (AO3)
- Milgram’s study on obedience shows the role of agentic state
- Most participants continued with the shocks when the Experimenter told them that he
is responsible if the learner gets harmed
- Therefore, they felt no longer responsible for their own behaviour, even if they learner
was ‘hurt’
Limited explanation of Agentic Shift (Limitation) (AO3)
- The Agentic Shift doesn’t many finding about obedience. For example, it doesn't
explain the findings of Rank and Jacobson’s study (1977)
- They found that 16/18 hospital nurses disobeyed order from a doctor to administer
executive drugs to a patient
- It shows all nurses remained autonomous, which suggest that the agentic shift can
only account for certain situations of obedience
Explain cultural differences (Strength) (AO3)
- Legitimacy of Authority accounts for cultural differences in obedience
- For example, Kilham and Mann (1974) found that only 16% of Australian women
went to 450 volts in an Milgram-style study
- Whereas Mantell (1971) found 85% of German participants went up to 450 volts
- This shows that in some cultures authority is more accepted as legitimate and
reflects how individuals act in different societies
Cannot explain all dis(obedience) (Limitation) (AO3)
- Legitimacy cannot explain all instances of disobedience in a hierarchy where
authority is clear and accepted
- Such as with the nurses not obeying the doctors when they should usually accept the
order all the time
- This can suggest that innate tendencies have greater influence on behaviour in life or
death situations
