Question 1

Which of the following types of conformity pressures induced most of the participants in Stanley Milgram's obedience studies to deliver escalating and life-threatening shocks to an innocent learner?

Accepted Answer

The participants in Stanley Milgram's obedience studies were subjected to both informational and normative social influence. Informational influence occurred when the participants relied on the expertise of the experimenter to guide their behavior, while normative influence occurred when the participants felt pressure to conform to the expectations of the experimenter and society as a whole. This combination of pressures led many participants to deliver escalating and life-threatening shocks to the innocent learner, despite their own objections and discomfort.

Question 2

The authors of your text note that across the studies that Milgram did investigating obedience to authority, the one factor that never made a consistent difference in how participants behaved was

Accepted Answer

Throughout Milgram's studies, participants consistently obeyed the experimenter's instructions even if they believed they were harming the victim. Disagreement among authority figures, such as when the experimenter gave conflicting instructions, did not significantly affect obedience rates. Disobedience from other teachers was manipulated by varying the behavior of the confederate teacher, but this did not consistently impact participants' behavior. The one factor that never made a consistent difference in how participants behaved was pleas for help from the victim, suggesting that obedience to authority overrides empathy for the victim.

Question 3

Recall that Milgram conducted a variation on his original obedience experiment. In this variation, there were two confederates in addition to the participant. When the participant threw the switch at 150 volts, one of the confederates refused to continue, even though the experimenter commanded him or her to do so. In this variation, only about 10 percent (compared to about 65 percent in the original study) went to the highest shock level. This experimental variation demonstrated the power of ________ in eliciting obedience.

Accepted Answer

The experimental variation with two confederates demonstrated the power of normative social influence in eliciting obedience. The confederate who refused to continue despite the experimenter's commands served as a dissenter, creating an opportunity for participants to follow his or her example and defy the experimenter's authority. This demonstrates the influence of normative social influence, the desire to fit in with the group and avoid social disapproval, on behavior.

Question 4

Results from Milgram's study, in which participants were led to believe that they were being asked to shock another person at lethal levels, suggest that people

Accepted Answer

Milgram's study showed that people are willing to obey authority, even when it goes against their moral code or common sense. This suggests that obedience to authority can be a powerful determinant of behavior, even in extreme situations where the consequences could be deadly. It does not necessarily imply sadistic impulses or a willingness to do anything for money.

Question 5

Milgram surveyed both a panel of Yale undergraduates and a panel of psychology professors before he conducted his original experiment. In these surveys, he found that

Accepted Answer

The answer of Milgram surveyed both a panel of Yale...

Question 6

In addition to the role of both informational and normative conformity pressures, participants in Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments administered escalating shocks to a confederate learner because they

Accepted Answer

Participants in Milgram's obedience experiments were subjected to multiple pressures, including informational conformity (uncertainty about what to do) and normative conformity (pressure to conform to the expectations of the experimenter or the group). However, the reason participants administered escalating shocks was due to being trapped in conflicting norm demands. On the one hand, they had been given orders by the experimenter to continue administering shocks even when the learner expressed pain and protested. On the other hand, they had internalized societal norms and values that prohibited harming others. Thus, they experienced a sense of moral dilemma and conflict, which led them to obey the experimenter's authority, rather than their own internal ethical codes.

Question 7

Which of the following variations of Milgram's (1963) original obedience experiment provides the strongest evidence of the operation of normative conformity when participants administer electric shocks to a confederate learner?

Accepted Answer

This variation provides the strongest evidence of normative conformity because the presence of a dissenter provides social support for disobedience, allowing participants to conform to the norm of not wanting to harm others. This suggests that participants were conforming to the social norm of not wanting to harm others, rather than simply following the orders of the experimenter. The other variations may also suggest the influence of normative conformity, but to a lesser extent than the presence of a dissenter.

Question 8

In a variation on his original experiment, Milgram had the experimenter leave the room after telling participants that they could deliver whatever level of shock they chose. After the experimenter left, a confederate suggested that the participant increase the shock by one level each time the learner made a mistake. In this variation, only about 20 percent of participants went to the highest shock level. The fact that the authority figure's presence made much more of a difference than that of a peer suggests the role of

Accepted Answer

The answer of In a variation on his original experiment,...

Question 9

In a field study by Shultz and his colleagues (2007), several households in a neighborhood received weekly feedback about their level of energy consumption relative to their neighbors. How are these results being applied?

Accepted Answer

The study found that customers who received feedback on their energy consumption with a smiley or sad face on their bill showed a significant reduction in energy consumption compared to those who did not receive feedback. As a result, some utility companies have started to implement this method of feedback to encourage energy conservation.

Question 10

According to the authors, in part because the experimental procedures were so ________, it was difficult for participants in Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments to abandon the "Obey legitimate authority" norm in favor of the norm that says, "Do no harm."

Accepted Answer

The experimental procedures in Milgram's obedience experiments were fast-paced, which made it challenging for participants to switch from the norm of obeying authority to the norm of doing no harm.

Question 11

In all likelihood, participants in Milgram's obedience experiments (conducted in the 1960s and 1970s) were willing to administer increasingly severe shocks to a confederate learner because they were concerned that the experimenter would be disappointed or perhaps even angry with them. Such concerns reflect the power of ________ to induce obedience to authority.

Accepted Answer

Normative social influence refers to the influence of social norms on behavior. In this case, the participants were likely motivated by their desire to comply with the social norm of obeying authority figures and avoiding disapproval or negative consequences.

Question 12

In an alternative version of his original experiment, Milgram used two experimenters, who began to disagree with each other when the participants administered 150 volts and the learner began to complain. In this variation, participants refused to continue. According to the authors of your text, this variation demonstrates the importance of ________ in influencing obedience.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In an alternative version of his original...

Question 13

Milgram found that about ________ percent of his participants went all the way to 450 volts in his original experiment.

Accepted Answer

Milgram found that approximately 65% of his participants went all the way to 450 volts in his original experiment.

Question 14

Given the role of informational and normative social influence processes in contributing to participants' willingness to shock a confederate learner , which of the following situations would yield the least obedience?

Accepted Answer

When authority figures disagree and leave the decision to the participants, it reduces the pressure of obedience, leading to less compliance.

Question 15

According to the authors of your text, the actions of Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi official responsible for transporting Jews to death camps, can best be described as

Accepted Answer

The authors of the text argue that Eichmann was an ordinary man who fell into an extraordinary circumstance. They believe that under normal circumstances, Eichmann would not have committed these atrocities, but the extreme ideology of the Nazi regime and his desire to be a loyal servant to his superiors led him to do so. Thus, he was an ordinary man who was swept up in the madness of the Nazi regime.

Question 16

Based on the field study by Shultz and his colleagues (2007) in which several households in a neighborhood received weekly feedback about their level of energy consumption relative to their neighbors, if you wanted to encourage people to use less electricity, what would you do?

Accepted Answer

The field study by Shultz and his colleagues showed that giving households feedback in the form of smiley or sad faces based on their energy consumption relative to their neighbors was most effective in encouraging energy conservation. This suggests that social comparison and competition can serve as strong motivators for behavior change. Simply providing information on average consumption or teaching conservation tips may not be as effective in promoting actual behavior change. Offering reduced bills as a reward may be effective, but this was not specifically tested in the study.

Question 17

In a famous social psychological experiment, participants were led to believe they were to deliver electric shocks of increasing potency to a "learner" for a memorization task. Participants were encouraged to continue even though the learner was clearly in pain, and most participants, in fact, did continue shocking the learner. What famous study is this describing?

Accepted Answer

This is describing Milgram's studies of obedience, where participants were instructed to administer electric shocks to a learner and most continued to do so despite the learner's protests and apparent pain.

Question 18

Based on your text, which of the following is the best example of obedience to authority based on normative social influence?

Accepted Answer

Normative social influence involves conforming to the expectations of others to gain social approval or avoid disapproval. In option C, the child is motivated to obey the parent to avoid making "Daddy mad," which aligns with normative social influence.

Question 19

In a field study by Shultz and his colleagues (2007), several households in a neighborhood received weekly feedback about their level of energy consumption relative to their neighbors. Some households received only descriptive norm feedback, and some received descriptive and injunctive norm feedback. Which method of feedback was most effective in producing energy conservation?

Accepted Answer

The study found that households that received both descriptive and injunctive norm feedback had the greatest reductions in energy consumption, suggesting that combining information about what others are doing (descriptive norms) with information about what is socially desirable (injunctive norms) can be an effective strategy for promoting behavior change.

Question 20

It is likely that participants in Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments (conducted in the 1960s and 1970s) were willing to administer increasingly severe shocks to a confederate learner because when confronted with a confusing, unfamiliar, and upsetting situation, they would turn to the experimenter for cues as to how to proceed. This speculation in essence identifies ________ as a source of participants' destructive obedience.

Accepted Answer

Participants turned to the experimenter for cues as to how to proceed, which identifies informational social influence as a source of their obedience. This suggests that participants may have believed that the experimenter had more knowledge about the situation and knew what was best, leading them to follow the experimenter's orders even when they seemed harmful.

Quiz 8: Conformity: Influencing Behavior