Background and Purpose

Stanley Milgram's 1963 study aimed to investigate obedience to authority in response to the defense of Nazi war criminals

Experiment Design and Results

Agentic State Theory

Milgram's theory of the agentic state explains how individuals can follow orders without feeling personal responsibility

Situational Factors

Milgram's research uncovered various situational factors that can influence obedience, such as the perceived legitimacy of the authority figure and the physical and psychological proximity to the victim

Implications and Criticisms

Milgram's study sparked discussions about the role of situational factors in obedience and raised ethical concerns about the manipulation of participants

Background and Purpose

Leonard Bickman's 1974 study aimed to examine the effect of uniforms on compliance

Experiment Design and Results

Role of Uniforms in Increasing Compliance

Bickman's study found that people were more likely to obey an authority figure dressed in a security guard uniform

Influence of Surveillance

Bickman's study showed that the presence of an authority figure did not significantly affect obedience, highlighting the symbolic power of uniforms

Gender Differences and Self-Perception

Bickman's study revealed a gap between self-perceived and actual obedience, particularly in response to female authority figures

Ecological Validity and Generalizability

Bickman's study has high ecological validity but may not be generalizable to different cultures or responses to female authority figures

Controlling for Extraneous Variables

Bickman's study faced challenges in controlling for extraneous variables that may have influenced obedience

Ethical Concerns

Bickman's study raised ethical concerns about the lack of informed consent and debriefing for participants