A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

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What is the main focus of Milgram’s Obedience Study?

The impact of group dynamics
Factors affecting learning styles
The extent to which individuals obey authority figures
The relationship between stress and performance

The correct answer is: The extent to which individuals obey authority figures

Milgram's Obedience Study primarily investigates the extent to which individuals are willing to obey authority figures, even when instructed to perform actions that conflict with their personal conscience or ethical standards. Conducted in the early 1960s, the study aimed to understand how far a participant would go in administering what they believed were painful electric shocks to another person, simply because an authoritative figure, the experimenter, commanded them to do so. This research sheds light on the powerful influence that authority can have on behavior, illustrating how situational factors can lead individuals to act in ways they might not typically consider acceptable. Milgram's findings reveal that a significant percentage of participants followed orders to the maximum level of shocks, raising critical discussions about morality, ethics, and the potential for obedience to lead to harm. Understanding this study is essential in grasping the concept of social influence and the underlying psychological mechanisms that drive people to comply with authority, making it a cornerstone of research on obedience within psychology.