5-1 Discussion: Variables of Obedience
jan29
3 years ago
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files (4)5-1Discussion.pdf
ConformityandObedience.zip
Rubric.html.zip
0RequiredResources.zip
5-1Discussion.pdf
After completing the readings and video of the studies by Milgram, Zimbardo, and Asch, answer the following questions: What are the key variables that increase or decrease obedience?
If you were a researcher interested in exploring these variables, what ethical considerations would you need to address? How do these variables impact social welfare or lead to restrict social change?
Use research from the Shapiro Library to support your claims.
To complete this assignment, review the Discussion Rubric.
ConformityandObedience.zip
Module Overview4.html
Conformity and Obedience
When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion.
—C.P Snow, 1961
Have you ever been caught up in an exciting or an otherwise emotional situation and made decisions that you later regretted? Were you just doing what others in the same group were also doing? Perhaps you were just trying to fit in or figure out what was going on in that group? Conformity is an important part of our culture. In fact, our culture could not function without conformity. Can you imagine sitting in a classroom where everybody started talking loudly when the professor was trying to talk? Social situations usually have a social and behavioral script of what is acceptable. What is acceptable can also change over time based on society and cultural norms. However, as you will see in this module, conformity, either by itself or in the form of obedience to an authority figure, can lead people to carry out terrible atrocities. Two incidents that were caused by conformity and obedience include the Nazis killing millions of innocent people during the Holocaust, as well as the prison tortures committed at Abu Ghraib. Can you think of other current examples?
Conformity is a very common behavior. There are generally three reasons why people are susceptible to being motivated by outside influence. First, we need to form accurate perceptions of reality and to react accordingly. Secondly, we are motivated to develop and maintain meaningful social relationships through affiliation. Lastly, we may conform to maintain a favorable self-concept (Kassin et al., 2021). Group social influence and the motivation to belong and fit in is very common. When you were a younger person, did you ever participate in activities with friends or other people even if you did not enjoy these activities? Why did you do so? The bottom line was that you wanted to be part of the group and fit in. You might have really liked the members of the group even if you didn’t like everything that the group did. For instance, some people join rebellious groups that protest against big corporations or against environmental polluters because they believe in a cause. However, when they are asked to carry out destructive acts, they do so just so they can stay with the group, even if they find some of the group’s activities offensive, or even dangerous.
Group social influence is when people conform to other people’s behavior hoping to learn the right action to take. For example, if you see smoke in your building, you might follow all of the other people near you and assume they know where the exit is. Conforming for information typically occurs in ambiguous situations and may or may not lead to the correct decision. Individual identity (IT) and social identity (SIT) are also connected to collective identity (Davis et al., 2019) and this can impact self-concept, identity formation, and identity reformation.
Obedience is slightly different from conformity. Obedience is when you conform because an authority figure tells you to. You obey out of a fear of being sanctioned should you refuse (Meyer, 2021). The big question that has been addressed in social psychology is: What would an ordinary person do because an authority figure told them to do it? Would you lie? Cheat? Would you harm or kill someone just because you were told to do so? There are three distinct components of submissive behaviors, including obedience, conformity, and compliance, but one current approach is to focus on how the authority figure interacted with the individual resulting in submissive behavior (Meyer, 2021).
References
Davis, J. L., Love, T. P., & Fares, P. (2019). Collective social identity: Synthesizing identity theory and social identity theory using digital data. Social Psychology Quarterly, 82(3), 254–273. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1177/0190272519851025
Kassin, S., Fein, S., & Markus, H.R. (2021). Social Psychology (11th ed.). Cengage.
Meyer, M. (2021). Putting the onus on authority: A review of obedient behavior and why we should move on. New Ideas in Psychology, 60. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2020.100831
Rubric.html.zip
Graduate Discussion Rubric.html
Graduate Discussion Rubric
Overview
Your active participation in the discussions is essential to your overall success this term. Discussion questions will help you make meaningful connections between the course content and the larger concepts of the course. These discussions give you a chance to express your own thoughts, ask questions, and gain insight from your peers and instructor.
Directions
For each discussion, you must create one initial post and follow up with at least two response posts.
For your initial post, do the following:
- Write a post of 1 to 2 paragraphs.
- In Module One, complete your initial post by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.
- In Modules Two through Ten, complete your initial post by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. of your local time zone.
- Consider content from other parts of the course where appropriate. Use proper citation methods for your discipline when referencing scholarly or popular sources.
For your response posts, do the following:
- Reply to at least two classmates outside of your own initial post thread.
- In Module One, complete your two response posts by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.
- In Modules Two through Ten, complete your two response posts by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. of your local time zone.
- Demonstrate more depth and thought than saying things like “I agree” or “You are wrong.” Guidance is provided for you in the discussion prompt.
Discussion Rubric
| Criteria | Exemplary | Proficient | Needs Improvement | Not Evident | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehension | Develops an initial post with an organized, clear point of view or idea using rich and significant detail (100%) | Develops an initial post with a point of view or idea using appropriate detail (90%) | Develops an initial post with a point of view or idea but with some gaps in organization and detail (70%) | Does not develop an initial post with an organized point of view or idea (0%) | 20 |
| Timeliness | N/A | Submits initial post on time (100%) | Submits initial post one day late (70%) | Submits initial post two or more days late (0%) | 10 |
| Engagement | Provides relevant and meaningful response posts with clarifying explanation and detail (100%) | Provides relevant response posts with some explanation and detail (90%) | Provides somewhat relevant response posts with some explanation and detail (70%) | Provides response posts that are generic with little explanation or detail (0%) | 20 |
| Critical Thinking | Draws insightful conclusions that are thoroughly defended with evidence and examples (100%) | Draws informed conclusions that are justified with evidence (90%) | Draws logical conclusions (70%) | Does not draw logical conclusions (0%) | 30 |
| Writing (Mechanics) | Initial post and responses are easily understood, clear, and concise using proper citation methods where applicable with no errors in citations (100%) | Initial post and responses are easily understood using proper citation methods where applicable with few errors in citations (90%) | Initial post and responses are understandable using proper citation methods where applicable with a number of errors in citations (70%) | Initial post and responses are not understandable and do not use proper citation methods where applicable (0%) | 20 |
| Total: | 100% |
0RequiredResources.zip
Reading and Resources14.html
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Required Resources |
PDF: Interpersonal Dynamics in a Simulated Prison This article discusses the famous Stanford prison experiment.
Interactive: Stanford Prison Experiment Slide Tour The article above and this slide show give you an overview of the Stanford prison study and some of the issues faced both by the participants as well as the researchers.
- Captioned versions of videos contained within this resource:
- Stanford Prison Experiment: A Student Is Arrested
- Stanford Prison Experiment: This Is Where It All Happened
- Stanford Prison Experiment: Controlling the Prisoners
- Stanford Prison Experiment: A Rebellion Breaks Out
- Stanford Prison Experiment: "I Just Felt Totally Hopeless"
- Stanford Prison Experiment: Prisoner #819 Did a Bad Thing
- Stanford Prison Experiment: What Would You Choose?
- Stanford Prison Experiment: Post-Experimental Interview
Library Article: Behavioral Study of Obedience This article gives you an overview of the very famous Milgram obedience study from the early 1960s.
Video: Obedience A captioned version of this video is available: Obedience (CC). In the film, we see subjects instructed to administer electric shocks of increasing severity to another person, and observe both obedient and defiant reactions. After the experiment, we witness subjects explain firsthand their actions.
Library Article: Studies of Independence and Conformity: I. A Minority of One Against a Unanimous Majority This reading discusses the Solomon Ash studies on conformity and majority.
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Additional Support (Optional) |
Reading: The Archival Turn in Classical Social Psychology: Some Recent Reports This article discusses the preservation of the research records of classical experiments in university archives. It explores archival reassessments of the work of Milgram, Zimbardo, and Sherif.
Reading: Obedience to Authority: Attitudes of Prison Officers in Stalinist Poland This article examines this hypothesis: The prison system in Poland of 1944–1956 was the effect of an imposed legal framework and administrative regulations that demoralized and destroyed the personal value system of the prison staff.
