Students Natasha and Tanya are buying food in the supermarket on their way home from school. As they are paying, they notice their psychology teacher, Mr Boat, at the far end of the queue. They both smile and wave. Mr Boat shouts, “Hey, you two! I think

Model Answer

Natasha and Tanya may have failed to obey their teacher due to situational factors. One reason is the lack of proximity between the teacher and the students; Mr Boat was at the far end of the queue, which reduced his authority’s immediate impact. This aligns with Milgram’s findings that obedience decreases when the authority figure is not physically close.

Another reason could be the presence of social support. Natasha and Tanya glanced and giggled at each other, which suggests that the presence of a peer provided confidence to disobey. Milgram found that obedience rates dropped when participants were in a group where others disobeyed, as social support makes resistance easier.