obedience
Summary
Obedience is changing behavior because an authority figure gives a direct command. In Milgram's shock experiments, most participants in the baseline version went to the maximum voltage, and obedience tended to fall when the authority was distant or other participants refused.
Detail
Meaning: Obedience is a form of social influence in which a person follows a direct command from someone seen as an authority. The pressure is an explicit order, not an unspoken group norm. Milgram explained it partly through the agentic state: people see themselves as carrying out another's wishes and shift responsibility to the authority.
On the MCAT: Passages describe Milgram's study, where a teacher delivers shocks to a learner at the experimenter's instruction. In the baseline version about 65% reached the maximum 450 V. Obedience tends to fall when the authority is distant or seems less legitimate, when the victim is closer, or when other participants refuse. Questions ask which change would raise or lower obedience, or which term fits a scenario.
Common confusion: Obedience, compliance and conformity differ. Compliance is going along with a request, often from someone without authority. Conformity is adjusting to match a group, as in Asch's line studies. Obedience is the one that involves a command from a perceived authority, and the person need not agree with it privately.
Sources
- Psychology (Myers)
- Social Psychology (Aronson, Wilson, Akert)
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.