Lesson 3.2.1.2.1

3.2.1.2.1 Milgram's agency theory: agency, authority, culture, proximity Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 5

20 questions

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Lesson 3.2.1.2.1, Milgram's agency theory: agency, authority, culture, proximity: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Psychology (8182), Unit 5: Social influence, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is the main premise of Milgram's agency theory?

    • People obey only when they are part of a large group of strangers in a crowd
    • People only obey when they are paid for their compliance in a laboratory study
    • People always obey anyone who wears a uniform because they fear punishment from others
    • People can enter an agentic state where they follow authority instead of their own conscience

  2. What is the agentic state?

    • A state of intense anger when a person is challenged by an authority figure
    • A state in which a person acts on behalf of an authority and does not take personal responsibility
    • A state in which a person refuses all orders given by a figure of authority
    • A state where a person forms a close friendship with an authority figure over time

  3. What is the autonomous state?

    • A state in which a person is under the control of an institution and its rules
    • A state in which a person acts according to their own conscience and takes responsibility
    • A state in which a person blindly follows the orders of others without question
    • A state in which the person feels no moral concern at all about the outcome

  4. What does Milgram say happens when people become agentic?

    • They may shift responsibility to the authority figure and obey orders they would otherwise refuse
    • They lose all memory of the event immediately after the experiment has ended
    • They become more empathetic to the victim and less willing to follow orders
    • They refuse to continue unless they receive payment for the time they have given

  5. What role did the experimenter's authority play in Milgram's study?

    • The learner set the rules of the shock task and decided when it should stop
    • The experimenter in a lab coat gave instructions that participants saw as legitimate
    • The authority was a sports coach who judged the results of each participant
    • The participant chose the level of shock to deliver at each stage of the study

  6. What percentage of Milgram's participants went up to the maximum 450 volts?

    • 65%
    • 90%
    • 15%
    • 35%

  7. Which factor reduced obedience in Milgram's studies when the victim was close?

    • Obedience rose when the teacher could see the learner in person
    • Obedience was unaffected by how close the learner was
    • Obedience fell when the teacher could see or touch the learner
    • Obedience rose only when the teacher was in another building

  8. Which Milgram variation increased obedience?

    • Having the learner sit in the same room as the teacher
    • Having a second teacher who refuses to continue
    • Having the experimenter give orders by telephone
    • Having a second teacher who obeys without question

  9. Which situation is most likely to reduce obedience in Milgram's theory?

    • Having the learner sit in the same room as the teacher
    • Having a second teacher who obeys without question
    • Having the experimenter give praise after each shock
    • Having the learner's protests removed from the study

  10. Why do people in an agentic state often obey orders they would otherwise refuse?

    • They believe the authority figure is responsible for what happens
    • They do not understand the instructions given by the experimenter at the start
    • They are unaware that a victim is present in the next room of the lab
    • They fear being paid less for the study if they stop before it is finished

  11. A soldier obeys an order to fire on civilians, saying 'I was only following orders'. Which theory best explains this?

    • Adorno's authoritarian personality, since the soldier has high intelligence
    • Milgram's agency theory, since the soldier shifts responsibility to the authority
    • Asch's conformity theory, since the soldier followed the crowd
    • Latané's theory of social loafing, since the soldier worked less hard

  12. Which study setting would most likely reduce obedience compared with Milgram's baseline?

    • The experimenter is in the same room giving orders
    • A second teacher obeys the experimenter
    • The teacher sits in the same room as the learner
    • The teacher is told the learner has agreed to the study

  13. A worker finds it harder to hurt a colleague they can see directly. Which factor does this illustrate?

    • Legitimacy of the workplace
    • Culture of the organisation
    • Authority of the manager
    • Proximity to the victim

  14. Which statement is a strength of Milgram's agency theory?

    • It was based on a random sample of the whole population of the United Kingdom
    • It proves that all people will obey any order given by a person in authority
    • It shows that obedience depends only on personality and upbringing at home
    • It explains why ordinary people obey harmful orders, using situational explanations

  15. Which weakness of Milgram's study relates to ethics?

    • Participants were paid too much for the study, creating a confound in the results
    • Participants were randomly allocated to conditions, so the results are biased
    • Participants experienced distress, which raises concerns about protection from harm
    • Participants were fully informed about the study, so the results lack validity

  16. Who carried out the obedience study using a shock generator?

    • Stanley Milgram
    • Bibb Latané
    • Theodor Adorno
    • Solomon Asch

  17. What apparatus did Milgram use to deliver the shocks in his study?

    • A maze with a food reward at the end
    • A shock generator with switches labelled up to 450 volts
    • A coloured light panel for recording reaction times
    • A tachistoscope showing words briefly

  18. Why might an agentic state be useful in a hierarchical society but harmful in some cases?

    • It is useful only in small families
    • It allows organisations to function
    • It means people never obey anyone at all
    • It always improves moral reasoning in soldiers and workers

  19. A study finds obedience drops when a second teacher refuses to continue. Which explanation fits Milgram's theory best?

    • Seeing another person refuse weakens the authority's legitimacy and encourages autonomy
    • The second teacher prevents shocks from being delivered
    • The second teacher is paid more, reducing obedience
    • The second teacher is more intelligent, so the participant copies them

  20. Which statement best evaluates the ecological validity of Milgram's study?

    • Ecological validity is not relevant to experiments of this kind
    • Its ecological validity is perfect because participants were volunteers
    • Its laboratory setting may limit how far findings generalise to everyday obedience
    • Its results are fully generalisable because they were replicated in many countries

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