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 you owe me homework. Wait there so we can have a quick chat."

Natasha and Tanya finish paying, glance at each other giggling and hurry out of the supermarket.

Using your knowledge of obedience research, explain possible reasons why the students failed to obey their teacher. [6 marks]

Answer: There are several reasons why Natasha and Tanya may have failed to obey their teacher, Mr Boat. One explanation is the lack of legitimacy of authority in this situation. Although Mr Boat is their teacher, he is not acting within the school setting, where his authority is formally recognised. In the supermarket, his role as a teacher is less legitimate, reducing the perceived authority of his command.

Another factor is the proximity of the authority figure. Mr Boat is at the far end of the queue, meaning he is physically distant from the students. Research by Milgram found that obedience decreases when the authority figure is not nearby, as the pressure to obey is reduced.

Finally, Natasha and Tanya have social support from one another. Being together gave them confidence to disobey, as they could share responsibility and reassure each other that ignoring Mr Boat's instruction was acceptable. These factors combined made disobedience more likely in this situation.