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A-Level · Psychology

PSY.SI3 Explanations for Obedience: Agentic State and Legitimacy of Authority

AQA 7182 · Calculators not allowed · about 90 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. Show all your working.

1

Define the term 'agentic state' as it is used in psychological explanations of obedience to authority. Include the idea of perceived responsibility in your definition.

(Total for Question 1 is 2 marks)

2

Outline what is meant by the 'autonomous state' in explanations of obedience, referring to responsibility and conscience.

(Total for Question 2 is 1 mark)

3

Outline the concept of an 'agentic shift' and explain how it relates to obedience to authority in everyday situations.

(Total for Question 3 is 2 marks)

4

Explain what is meant by 'moral strain' in the agentic state and give one reason why it occurs, with brief explanation.

(Total for Question 4 is 3 marks)

5

Outline two 'binding factors' that can keep a person in the agentic state, briefly explaining how each reduces resistance to authority in an ordered setting.

(Total for Question 5 is 3 marks)

6

Outline the concept of 'legitimacy of authority' as an explanation for obedience, naming the role of socially agreed hierarchies.

(Total for Question 6 is 2 marks)

7

State one way in which legitimate authority can become 'destructive', leading to immoral orders being obeyed.

(Total for Question 7 is 1 mark)

8

Explain briefly how legitimacy of authority and the agentic state offer different accounts of why someone follows an immoral order, giving one distinct point for each explanation.

(Total for Question 8 is 3 marks)

9

A school caretaker, Kwame, is asked by the new headteacher to lock children in a storeroom for a short time as a 'punishment' when they are noisy. Kwame privately thinks this is wrong but does it because the headteacher told him to, and later feels guilty. Using the scenario, explain two features of the agentic state or legitimacy of authority that account for Kwame's behaviour. Use evidence from the stem in each point.

(Total for Question 9 is 6 marks)

10

Outline the main finding of Kilham and Mann's 1974 replication of obedience research in Australia, and state briefly how it affects the legitimacy of authority explanation.

(Total for Question 10 is 2 marks)

11

Outline the procedure and main implication of Meeus and Raaijmakers' 1986 administrative obedience study for the agentic state explanation.

(Total for Question 11 is 2 marks)

12

Using the evidence of Kilham and Mann (1974) and Meeus and Raaijmakers (1986), evaluate briefly whether cultural or situational variation undermines the generalisability of the legitimacy of authority and agentic state explanations. Give two evaluative points.

(Total for Question 12 is 4 marks)

13

Discuss explanations for obedience, focusing on the agentic state (including agentic shift, moral strain and binding factors) and legitimacy of authority. In your answer, consider cross-cultural evidence and research such as Kilham and Mann (1974) and Meeus and Raaijmakers (1986).

(Total for Question 13 is 12 marks)

Mark scheme · PSY.SI3 Explanations for Obedience: Agentic State and Legitimacy of Authority

Question 1

B1 states that the agentic state is when a person sees themselves as an agent carrying out another person's wishes, not acting on their own behalf oe
B1 states that responsibility is perceived as shifted to the authority figure, reducing the agent's sense of personal accountability oe
Answer: An agentic state is when a person views themselves as an agent executing the wishes of an authority figure and perceives responsibility as lying with that authority rather than with themselves.

Question 2

B1 states that the autonomous state is when an individual acts according to their own conscience and feels personal responsibility for their actions oe
Answer: The autonomous state is when an individual acts according to their own conscience and takes personal responsibility for their actions.

Question 3

B1 states that an agentic shift is a change from the autonomous state to the agentic state oe
B1 indicates this shift explains why people obey orders they might otherwise refuse because they see themselves as following an authority oe
Answer: An agentic shift is the change from acting autonomously to seeing oneself as an agent of an authority, which helps explain why people obey orders they might otherwise resist in everyday hierarchical settings.

Question 4

M1 defines moral strain as the discomfort or tension felt when actions ordered by authority conflict with personal morals oe
A1 offers a reason, e.g. the person still recognises the action as wrong but feels unable to refuse because responsibility is perceived as belonging to the authority oe
A1 explains why this matters, e.g. moral strain shows obedience can involve internal conflict rather than absence of conscience oe
Answer: Moral strain is the tension experienced when someone obeys an authority to do something they recognise as wrong. It occurs because the person still has moral awareness but feels unable to refuse and believes responsibility lies with the authority, showing obedience can coexist with internal conflict.

Question 5

M1 identifies one binding factor, e.g. denying personal responsibility or shifting blame to the authority figure oe
A1 explains how this factor reduces resistance, e.g. reducing feelings of guilt so the person is less likely to disobey oe
M1 identifies a second binding factor, e.g. focusing on the task or using gradual increases in demands (gradual commitment) oe
Answer: Examples: (1) Shifting or denying personal responsibility to the authority, which reduces guilt and makes refusal less likely. (2) Focusing on the immediate task or accepting small incremental demands, which makes larger harmful acts seem acceptable over time.

Question 6

M1 states that legitimacy of authority means people obey those seen as having the right to give orders because their authority is socially agreed oe
A1 states that socially agreed hierarchies (e.g. police, teachers) give those people power to demand obedience oe
Answer: Legitimacy of authority is the idea that people obey those who are perceived as having the right to give orders because society accepts certain hierarchies, for example police and teachers are given power that makes people more likely to follow their instructions.

Question 7

B1 states that authority can be destructive when a legitimate figure uses their power to order harmful or immoral acts, and followers obey because of that perceived legitimacy oe
Answer: Legitimate authority becomes destructive when an authority figure uses their recognised power to order harmful or immoral acts, and people obey because they accept the figure's right to command.

Question 8

M1 explains legitimacy of authority: obedience occurs because the person perceives the authority as having the right to give orders within a social hierarchy oe
M1 explains agentic state: obedience occurs because the person sees themselves as an agent, shifting responsibility to the authority and therefore feeling able to follow orders oe
A1 gives a contrast or implication, e.g. legitimacy focuses on social structure while agentic state focuses on cognitive shift in responsibility oe
Answer: Legitimacy of authority says people obey because society grants certain figures the right to command. The agentic state says people obey because they psychologically see themselves as an agent and shift responsibility to that authority. The contrast is that legitimacy points to social structure, whereas agentic state emphasises an internal cognitive shift.

Question 9

M1 identifies a relevant feature, e.g. perceived shift of responsibility consistent with the agentic state oe
A1 applies it to the stem, e.g. Kwame does the act because the headteacher gave the order, suggesting he sees responsibility as with the headteacher oe
M1 identifies a second relevant feature, e.g. legitimacy of authority or moral strain oe
A1 applies it to the stem, e.g. the headteacher is a legitimate figure in the school hierarchy so Kwame obeys despite thinking it wrong oe
M1 provides supporting explanation or consequence, e.g. Kwame's later guilt illustrates moral strain experienced even while in the agentic state oe
A1 explains why this matters, e.g. shows obedience can involve internal conflict and that legitimacy can lead people to carry out orders they privately reject oe
Answer: Possible answers: (1) Agentic state, responsibility shifted: Kwame obeys because the headteacher ordered it, which suggests he sees the headteacher as responsible, not himself. (2) Legitimacy of authority and moral strain: the headteacher occupies a legitimate role in the school hierarchy so Kwame accepts the order; his later guilt shows moral strain, indicating obedience despite private disagreement.

Question 10

M1 states Kilham and Mann found lower levels of obedience to authority than Milgram did in his original US study oe
A1 explains implication: suggests legitimacy of authority effects may vary by culture or social context oe
Answer: Kilham and Mann found lower obedience levels in their Australian replication than reported in Milgram's US work. This suggests that legitimacy of authority may not produce the same levels of obedience in all cultures and that social context can affect how authority is perceived.

Question 11

M1 outlines key procedural point: participants were instructed by an experimenter to harass a job applicant by giving stressful interview questions in the presence of an authority figure, with confederate responses scripted oe
A1 explains implication: high rates of compliance under an authority indicate people can act as agents under orders, supporting agentic state ideas about shifted responsibility oe
Answer: Meeus and Raaijmakers had participants, under instruction, harass a job applicant with stressful questions; many followed the instructions. The finding supports the agentic state idea that people can carry out harmful acts when acting as agents under authority, transferring responsibility to the authority.

Question 12

M1 points out that Kilham and Mann's lower obedience suggests legitimacy of authority effects vary between cultures, challenging universality oe
A1 explains why this matters, e.g. if legitimacy depends on culturally specific acceptance of hierarchies then the explanation lacks cross-cultural generalisability oe
M1 points out Meeus and Raaijmakers show situational factors and the presence of an authority can produce high compliance even without extreme physical harm, supporting agentic state mechanisms oe
A1 explains implication, e.g. situational details and procedures influence whether agency occurs, so explanations must allow for situational moderators rather than claiming simple universality oe
Answer: Kilham and Mann's lower obedience suggests legitimacy of authority may be weaker in some cultures, reducing generalisability. Meeus and Raaijmakers show that situational procedures and authoritative instruction can produce high compliance, supporting agentic mechanisms but indicating that situational details matter. Together they imply the explanations need to account for cultural and procedural moderators.

Question 13

Level 4 (10-12): Knowledge of explanations for obedience is accurate, relevant and well detailed. Evaluation is thorough and balanced, considering methodological issues, supporting and challenging evidence, and cross-cultural implications. Argument is well developed and applied to research such as Kilham and Mann and Meeus and Raaijmakers. Specialist terminology is used effectively.
Level 3 (7-9): Knowledge of the agentic state and legitimacy of authority is mostly accurate with reasonable detail. Evaluation is present and reasonably developed, with some reference to supporting and opposing evidence including cross-cultural points. Application to named studies is present but may be less detailed.
Level 2 (4-6): Basic knowledge of the explanations is present but may be incomplete or partially inaccurate. Evaluation is limited or one-sided, and consideration of cross-cultural evidence is superficial. Answer lacks depth and organisation in places.
Level 1 (1-3): Very limited knowledge and understanding. Little or no appropriate evaluation. Answer may be mostly descriptive or disorganised with little use of evidence.
Level 0 (0): No creditable content.
Indicative content:
- AO1: Agentic state: definition, agentic shift from autonomous to agentic state, moral strain experienced when orders conflict with conscience, and binding factors that reduce disobedience such as denying responsibility, focusing on the task, or incremental commitment.
- AO1: Legitimacy of authority: definition, socially agreed hierarchies give certain figures the perceived right to issue orders, and how this can lead to obedience even when orders are immoral; destructive authority where legitimate power is misused.
- AO1: Clear distinction between explanations: agentic state focuses on cognitive shift and perceived responsibility, legitimacy focuses on social structure and perceived right to command.
- AO3: Supportive evidence: research showing high obedience where legitimate authority or clear authority figures are present, including administrative obedience studies such as Meeus and Raaijmakers (1986) supporting agentic processes in an applied setting.
- AO3: Cross-cultural and replication evidence: Kilham and Mann (1974) found lower obedience in Australia than Milgram in the USA, suggesting cultural variation in acceptance of authority and challenging claims of universality; discuss implications for both explanations.
- AO3: Methodological evaluation: many supporting studies use artificial tasks or lab settings, which may affect ecological validity; Meeus and Raaijmakers used an administrative procedure closer to real-life, increasing ecological validity but raising ethical concerns.
- AO3: Alternative explanations and individual differences: dispositional factors such as authoritarian personality or moral reasoning may moderate obedience, and personality can explain why some resist; discuss interactionist views where both situational legitimacy and personal factors matter.
- AO3: Practical implications and ethical considerations: understanding these explanations helps design systems to reduce destructive obedience, e.g. emphasising individual responsibility and checks on authority; ethical critique that some research methods involved distress or deception.
- AO3: Overall evaluation: weigh strengths and limits, argue that both explanations capture important facets of obedience but must be seen as complementary and moderated by culture, context and individual differences.

Explanations for Obedience: Agentic State and Legitimacy of Authority - Worksheets, Questions and Revision