Which of the following best describes the difference between compliance and obedience?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Let's examine what each term means in social psychology and how the options align with those definitions.

Option A: 'Obedience involves submitting to direct requests, whereas compliance involves submitting to direct requests by an authority figure.' This mixes up the roles. Obedience specifically refers to submitting to the demands of an authority figure, even when those demands may conflict with personal beliefs. Compliance, on the other hand, is about yielding to a direct request from another person, not necessarily from an authority figure. So this option incorrectly assigns the authority-role and reverses the typical relationship between obedience and compliance.

Option B: 'Compliance involves submitting to direct requests, whereas obedience involves submitting to direct requests by an authority figure.' This aligns well with standard definitions: compliance is yielding to a direct request from another person, while obedience is following orders or directives from an authority figure. This option correctly captures the distinction in terms of influence type (direct request) and the who (authority vs. non-authority requester).

Option C: 'Obedience involves submitting to implicit influence, whereas compliance involves submitting to direct requests by another person.' Here, obedience is described as responding to implicit influence, which is inaccurate. Obedience is typically associated with explicit directives from an authority, not passive or implicit influence. The second part about compliance matches (direct requests by another person), but the first half mischaracterizes obedience, making this option incorrect.

Option D: 'Compliance involves submitting to implicit influence, whereas obedience involves submitting to direct requests.' This flips the core ideas: compliance is generally about responding to explicit, direct requests, not implicit influence; obedience is about following explicit directives from an authority. This option therefore misstates both components and is incorrect.

In summary, option B presents the precise, conventional distinction between compliance and obedience, while the other options introduce mismatched roles or incorrect conceptions of influence and authority.

Which of the following best describes the difference between compliance and obedience?Single choice

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