When they learn about the Milgram and Asch studies, Dr. Szeli’s students are often surprised about the extent of obedience and conformity that occur. How does she respond to this? A She explains that the rate of these behaviors in non-research settings is actually much lower. B She tells them the rate is actually higher when interacting with non-strangers. C She shares that the rate was inflated in the original research, but notes these are still important issues. D She tells them the rate is actually lower if individuals come from an in-group.
When they learn about the Milgram and Asch studies, Dr. Szeli’s students are often surprised about the extent of obedience and conformity that occur. How does she respond to this?
Because students tend to be very surprised when we talk about Asch and the line study in conformity, and we talk about Milgram the classic obedient study, students tend to be very surprised about the extent of the conformity, the extent of the obedience. And of course, there's a lot of like, well, I wouldn't do that kind of thing. And I tell students, well, the research suggests that you would. And in fact, it's actually worse than you think it is.
In other words, remember-- I point something out to them that really sort of gives students an opportunity to do a double take, which is those studies were generally done among strangers. Those people never knew each other and would never meet again, yet we still had such high levels of conformity and obedience-- shockingly high to some extent.
And then I sort of, in the context of Milgram, talk about the pun of things being shockingly high. But it's actually worse not only then we would predict in ourselves-- that we actually do conform and we do obey even though we don't think we're going to-- but it's actually the whole phenomena are worse than they seem in the research, because what happens when it's not strangers? What happens when it's not strangers who are unanimous on an incorrect evaluation of the environment in the case of conformity?
What happens when it's not a stranger telling you what to do? Because I asked them. We see the researcher as an authority figure in the Milgram study. What actual power did that researcher have over the participants in that study? And the reality is not a whole lot. There was not-- what if that were your actual boss?
What if that was your commanding officer? What if it's someone who actually does have some power over you? What if the conformity is to your friends? What you see there is that the probability of conforming and obedience are actually probably higher than those such studies suggest.
And that sort of-- I try to then backtrack and say, why is it then important that we understand these things? Again, not because we don't want to conform or don't want to obey, but because we want to make decisions about where we will conform and where we will obey and not do those things and knee jerk reactions. But really to make that point, I first make the point that these are very real forces, and probably even more intense than the research suggests."
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