Obedience to Authority

Chapter Remarks

1. The book begins by discussing the nature of obedience. This chapter serves as a good preface for the topics that follow.
2. This chapter outlines the initial experiment in detail. Pictures are provided to illustrate the various apparatus and to give the reader a glimpse at the learner, which really aids in visualizing the experiments.
3. This is a short chapter that takes a look at different populations predictions of the experiment's outcome. All participants expected the experiment to end around 150V and estimated that less than 1% of people (sociopaths) would continue to 450V.
4. This chapter discusses experiments exploring the effect that the closeness of the victim has on disobedience. Unsurprisingly, the closer the teacher is to the learner to more likely they are to disobey. When the teacher has to physically force the learner to be shocked, obedience drops to 30%.
5. This chapter discusses the results and experiences of a selection of participants from the first 3 experiments (focusing of proximity). The tension experienced by some of the participants was extremely evident. I'm glad that Milgram addressed the specific experiences of a few dissenters to round out the discussion.
6. After experimenting with proximity, another series of experiments were conducted focusing on the learner's reaction to the shocks, the teacher's relationship to the authority, and the location of the experiment. The results were interesting, most notable was that teachers, when given the opportunity to choose what level of shock to administer, consistently chose very low levels.
7. This chapter discusses individual experiences in experiments 5-11. Much like in chapter 5, this chapter serves to help the reader visualize the experiments. The anecdotal evidence also makes the book more interesting and sets it apart from a research paper.
8. This chapter discusses experiments that vary the position of the authority in relation to the teacher and other authorities. This chapter provided a lot of the insight Milgram uses in his later discussions.
9. The final experiments place the participant in a group of teachers. These experiments revealed that disobedience is easier when the teacher can follow another's lead and that participants have no problem being silently complicit in another teachers abuse of the learner.
10. This chapter begins Milgram's academic and theoretic discussions on obedience. This chapter addresses the nature of hierarchy and the agentic shift in thinking that the teachers experienced during the experiments.
11. This chapter discusses how people learn obedience early on and how society reinforces this by integrating people into hierarchies via promotions, rewards, and punishment. He also further elaborates on his agentic state and it's properties.
12. This chapter is titled strain and disobedience. It discusses how some participants were able to overcome their agentic state and assert their individuality, through great psychic struggle. It also discusses coping mechanisms such as avoidance, denial, and subterfuge.
13. In this chapter Milgram introduces and argues against an alternative theory built on aggression. This theory stands on Freudian principles and is refuted by several experiments.
14. This chapter addresses criticisms of Milgram's experiments and theories. His defense is clearly composed and built on evidence from his experiments and others. Personally, I agree with Milgram's analysis and thing that his reasoning is sound.
15. This chapter draws the book to a close by refocusing on Nazi Germany and how people behave in the real world. The interview with the veteran that participated in the execution of innocent people during Vietnam was troubling and ended the book on a strong note.

Book Reflection

I enjoyed reading this book quite a bit. I was pleased to find that it was much more than a recap of the infamous Milgram experiments, which I've been familiar with for some time.

The first two thirds of the book discuss the initial experiment and the follow-up experiments that it inspired in great detail. The initial experiment revealed that people are willing to obey an authority to an alarming extent. Even past the point that they would be comfortable operating of their own free will. Predictions made by professors, students, and psychologists all suggest that the average person would only cooperate to a small extent, and that only a sociopath would be willing to subject another human to 450V for the purpose of scientific experimentation.

Obviously results this unexpected, not to mention concerning, warranted further investigation. Milgram's first round of follow-up experiments focused on the relationship between the proximity of the teacher to the "victim" and the teacher's obedience to the authority. These experiments revealed that moving the victim closer to the teacher, therefore making the teacher's actions more explicit and more subject to their personal scrutiny. The other experiments that followed revealed that women are as obedient as men, that the reputability of the locale contributes to the power of the authority, that conflicting authorities undermine obedience, that participants are more obedient when they don't feel responsible for their actions, and various other findings.

The real contribution Milgram made by writing this book was his discussion of the theories he formed from these results, in the last third of the book. Milgram's theories center around his idea of the agentic state. Milgram proposes that people can function independently or as a part of a hierarchy, the later referred to as the agentic state. He asserts that this functioning is an entirely separate state of mind based on the way participants behave in contrast to their individual ideals and preferences.

Overall, Milgram's experiments were well conducted and his theories well formed. I agree with his analysis and enjoyed reading his book.

Gang Leader for a Day

I enjoyed this book quite a lot. The first chapter provides a good introduction to the book and captures the reader's attention very well. The author's portrayal of the characters makes it easy to keep in mind the fact that they represent real people. Chapter two chronicles the early days of his study. Reading the author's accounts of the projects contradicted a lot of what I previously assumed was true and supplied one revelation after another. The incident with C-Note was a sobering moment and a good reminder of the reality and consequences of the study. Chapter 3 provided insights into the roles of other community members and marked a shift in the focus of the study. Previously Sudhir focused almost exclusively on the Black Kings and their leader. Chapter 3 also introduced the idea that there might be something more to gang life than simple drug dealing by focusing on the Black King's and Lenny's voting movement. Chapter 4 was very enlightening, as it should be given that it became the book's namesake. A day in the life of a gang leader is a very interesting topic in its own right and I found this chapter incredibly interesting. Chapter 5's shift to Ms. Bailey was fascinating. The constant struggle for power between Bailey and JT was an entertaining read and was very thought provoking. Chapter 6 really drove in the fact that Sudhir's involvement has had consequences for not only himself  but many of the people in Robert Taylor. This chapter was another sobering moment and one of the defining features of the book.  I found chapter 7 distressing. Like Sudhir, growing up the way I did gave me a romanticized notion of police. This chapter was a very disenchanting experience. The last chapter was pretty dull. It read like an epilogue and was pretty anticlimactic, but I suppose that is the nature of research.

Ethnography Idea

My idea is to study Pentecostal churches. I got the idea from a coworker, whose grandparents are Pentecostal. Since I've known him I've heard several anecdotal tales of his grandparents' "crazy, extremist ideas". While Pentecostals are Christian, and I am familiar with Christianity, Pentecostals have a wide variety of views and practices that I am unfamiliar with that warrant study. Furthermore, my previous exposure to Christianity will help to provide a context with which to compare Pentecostal views.

Something that another group might do is study smokers. I have a lot of friends that smoke, and they are part of a very robust subculture that crosses student, faculty, and staff boundaries. Smokers are very social, and with the decrease in the popularity of smoking, most regular smokers become acquainted with each other quickly.

Assignment 7

Secret Life of Pronouns + Article

The idea that pronouns reflect who we are and how we think is an very interesting proposition. Given that pronouns position yourself wit respect to the world around you, it's definitely plausible  but I never considered that sort of analysis especially accurate. Minoring in psychology, I was familiar with the fact that writing and communicating traumatic experiences had a wide range of health benefits, I didn't however, know that the study originated with James Pennebaker. In Pennebaker's analysis of writing, three important findings emerged:

• the importance of positive emotion
• the use of positive language increases improvement in physical and emotional health
• the importance of constructing a story
• an increase in cognitive language over time demonstrates growth and understanding, which contributes to an increase in health
• the importance of changing perspectives

I find this book extremely interesting, both as a computer scientist and a psychologist. There is a lot of potential for the research discussed in the book and I feel that there is definitely something to take away from it.

Video + Observations

Creating our video was interesting for one reason in particular: nobody seemed to notice our camera. We used the lid cam, so it wasn't particularly obvious, but even the cashier didn't seem to notice its presence  This, to me, indicates the massive amount of information hiding in the real world that could be revealed with even a little bit of observational awareness. In creating my ethnography, I will focus on the use of language, how people orient themselves with respect to other people and their surroundings, the use of formalities, and any unusual protocols accepted by the group as a whole. Also interesting would be the level of acceptance that the group in question has with regard to other groups and individuals.

Homework 4: Ethnography Articles

What is ethnography?

An ethnography is a systematic study of human culture that aims to capture the perspective of the typical member of said culture. Culture is a vast and complex subject of research - it permeates every aspect of social interaction. An ethnographer should study the institutions, customs, codes, and behaviors without becoming subjective to their influence - a difficult task.

Ethnography

An ethnography is a means to represent graphically and in writing, the nature of people. Typically, ethnographies are conducted by anthropologists and sociologists who work as participant observers, bound to strict ethical codes. 

Data collection aims to capture the social meanings and ordinary activities of people in naturally occurring settings in a manner that minimizes the amount of bias imposed on the data. Reflexive researchers aim to explore their influence on their research as a means of maintaining transparency. Participation is key to data collection.

The ethics of ethnographic study are of great concern. The classic virtues of the ethnographer are kindness, friendliness, and honesty. Additionally, ethnographers should aim to be candid, chaste, fair, literary, precise, observant, and unobtrusive.

Coming of Age in Samoa

Book by Margaret Mead (American anthropologist) based on ethnographic research of youth on the island of Ta’u in Samoa. A widely popular text in the field of anthropology and a key text in the nature vs nurture argument. Mead sought to answer the question: “Are the disturbances which vex our adolescents due to the nature of adolescence itself or to the civilization?” Concluded that the transition from childhood to adulthood in Samoa was smooth and stress-free. Mead hypothesized that this was a result of the stable, open, monocultural culture they grew up in.

This book upset many Westerners when released in 1928 - Samoan ideas of proper female behavior were very unlike the ideals of the typical Westerner. Additional controversy arose when Derek Freeman challenged Meads observations and data. He was eventually regarded as misguided, and it is speculated that he waited to publish his book until after Mead’s death so as to deny her to opportunity to respond.

Emotional Design vs Design of Everyday Things

I found Emotional Design much more interesting than Design of Everyday Things. Emotional Design's focus on aesthetics was a much more novel study. I think Design of Everyday Things focused too much on models to explain why designs were good or bad and how people think. Emotional Design opens with the results of scientific studies and continues to rely on research. Models are nothing more than conjecture without evidence and research. As a psychologist, I enjoyed Norman's analysis of cognitive processing, and breaking it into visceral, reflective, and behavioral components was a novel approach. The application of his processing model to creativity, affect, and the effects of aesthetics was more valuable to me than the generalities proposed in Design of Everyday Things. I think that in many cases, although perhaps not corporate-aimed products, the perception of ease and efficiency is more important to users than hard facts. A users gut feeling about their experience with a device does more to keep them coming back than efficiency measures could. I think this is evident in Apple's popularity and design principles. Apple designs products to be aesthetically pleasing and as simple as possible, but at the cost of hampering power users. Despite this, Apple's products are wildly popular, because most people aren't power users.