1.5: Methodological criticisms

Question 1

Several methodological criticisms have been made about Milgram’s study concerning both what?

Answer 1

Several methodological criticisms have been made about Milgram’s study concerning both:

1. How the study itself was conducted
2. The usefulness of the results it generated

Question 2

Several methodological criticisms have been made about Milgram’s study concerning both how the study itself was conducted and the usefulness of the results it generated.
What allow us to assess these criticisms?

Answer 2

Subsequent studies allow us to assess these criticisms

Question 3

Internal validity:

What does internal validity concern?

Answer 3

Internal validity concerns the degree to which findings are attributable to the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable

Question 4

Internal validity:
Internal validity concerns the degree to which findings are attributable to the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable.
Milgram’s study would lack internal validity if participants didn’t believe what?

Answer 4

Milgram’s study would lack internal validity if participants didn’t believe the shocks were real

Question 5

Internal validity:
Internal validity concerns the degree to which findings are attributable to the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable.
Milgram’s study would lack internal validity if participants didn’t believe the shocks were real.
Who criticized the internal validity of Milgram’s study?

Answer 5

Orne and Holland (1968) criticized the internal validity of Milgram’s study

Question 6

Internal validity:
Internal validity concerns the degree to which findings are attributable to the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable.
Milgram’s study would lack internal validity if participants didn’t believe the shocks were real.
Orne and Holland (1968) criticized the internal validity of Milgram’s study, because they believed that participants delivered the shocks because they knew what?

Answer 6

Orne and Holland (1968) criticized the internal validity of Milgram’s study, because they believed that participants delivered the shocks because they knew they were not real

Question 7

Internal validity:
Internal validity concerns the degree to which findings are attributable to the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable.
Milgram’s study would lack internal validity if participants didn’t believe the shocks were real.
Orne and Holland (1968) criticized the internal validity of Milgram’s study, because they believed that participants delivered the shocks because they knew they were not real.
However, what percentage of participants in post-study interviews said they believed the electric shocks to be real?

Answer 7

75% of participants in post-study interviews said they believed the electric shocks to be real

Question 8

Internal validity:
Internal validity concerns the degree to which findings are attributable to the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable.
Milgram’s study would lack internal validity if participants didn’t believe the shocks were real.
Orne and Holland (1968) criticized the internal validity of Milgram’s study, because they believed that participants delivered the shocks because they knew they were not real.
However, 75% of participants in post-study interviews said they believed the electric shocks to be real.
What also suggest that they believed them to be real?

Answer 8

The extreme physical reactions and responses of many of the participants also suggest that they believed them to be real

Question 9

External validity:

Can the results of Milgram’s study be what?

Answer 9

Can the results of Milgram’s study be generalised beyond the experimental setting?

Question 10

External validity:
Can the results of Milgram’s study be generalised beyond the experimental setting?
The findings have been criticised in terms of what?

Answer 10

The findings have been criticised in terms of whether they are representative of:

1. Females
2. Other cultures
3. People of today

Question 11

Androcentrism

Answer 11

Androcentrism is a bias in psychological research in which a male perspective is over-emphasised at the expense of a female one

Question 12

External validity:
Androcentrism:
The participants were who?

Answer 12

The participants were 40 males aged between:

1. 20
2. 50

Question 13

External validity:
Androcentrism:
The participants were 40 males aged between 20 and 50.
As only males were used in Milgram’s study, it is what?

Answer 13

As only males were used in Milgram’s study, it is androcentric

Question 14

External validity:
Androcentrism:
The participants were 40 males aged between 20 and 50.
As only males were used in Milgram’s study, it is androcentric and so the accusation is that these results cannot be what?

Answer 14

As only males were used in Milgram’s study:

1. It is androcentric
2. So the accusation is that these results cannot be generalised to females

Question 15

External validity:
Androcentrism:
The participants were 40 males aged between 20 and 50.
As only males were used in Milgram’s study, it is androcentric and so the accusation is that these results cannot be generalised to females.
Many people would imagine that females would be what to orders with destructive consequences?

Answer 15

Many people would imagine that females would be much less obedient to orders with destructive consequences

Question 16

External validity:
Androcentrism:
The participants were 40 males aged between 20 and 50.
As only males were used in Milgram’s study, it is androcentric and so the accusation is that these results cannot be generalised to females.
Many people would imagine that females would be much less obedient to orders with destructive consequences, yet research often surprisingly suggests that what?

Answer 16

Many people would imagine that females would be much less obedient to orders with destructive consequences, yet research often surprisingly suggests that the opposite is indeed true

Question 17

External validity:
Androcentrism:
The participants were 40 males aged between 20 and 50.
As only males were used in Milgram’s study, it is androcentric and so the accusation is that these results cannot be generalised to females.
Many people would imagine that females would be much less obedient to orders with destructive consequences, yet research often surprisingly suggests that the opposite is indeed true.
Maybe females can be more obedient and unquestioning of orders, because what?

Answer 17

Maybe females can be more:
1. Obedient
2. Unquestioning of orders
,because their gender roles may dictate that they be more submissive

Question 18

External validity:
Androcentrism:
The participants were 40 males aged between 20 and 50.
As only males were used in Milgram’s study, it is androcentric and so the accusation is that these results cannot be generalised to females.
Many people would imagine that females would be much less obedient to orders with destructive consequences, yet research often surprisingly suggests that the opposite is indeed true.
Maybe females can be more obedient and unquestioning of orders, because their gender roles may dictate that they be more submissive, especially to what?

Answer 18

Maybe females can be more:
1. Obedient
2. Unquestioning of orders
,because their gender roles may dictate that they be more submissive, especially to assertive males

Question 19

External validity:
Cultural bias:
As Milgram’s study only used what participants, the results can be said to be not necessarily what?

Answer 19

As Milgram’s study only used American participants, the results can be said to be not necessarily generalisable to people of other cultures

Question 20

External validity:
Cultural bias:
As Milgram’s study only used American participants, the results can be said to be not necessarily generalisable to people of other cultures.
Indeed, research has backed up this criticism, with varying levels of obedience found between what?

Answer 20

Indeed, research has backed up this criticism, with varying levels of obedience found between different cultures

Question 21

External validity:
Cultural bias:
As Milgram’s study only used American participants, the results can be said to be not necessarily generalisable to people of other cultures.
Indeed, research has backed up this criticism, with varying levels of obedience found between different cultures.
It may be that different cultures obey to what?

Answer 21

It may be that different cultures obey to different levels

Question 22

External validity:
Cultural bias:
As Milgram’s study only used American participants, the results can be said to be not necessarily generalisable to people of other cultures.
Indeed, research has backed up this criticism, with varying levels of obedience found between different cultures.
It may be that different cultures obey to different levels, because of what?

Answer 22

It may be that different cultures obey to different levels, because of cultural differences regarding authority

Question 23

External validity:
Historical validity:
It has been suggested that the high rate of obedience found in the Milgram study was a product of what?

Answer 23

It has been suggested that the high rate of obedience found in the Milgram study was a product of American culture being very:
1. Authoritarian
2. Obedient
during the early 1960s

Question 24

External validity:
Historical validity:
It has been suggested that the high rate of obedience found in the Milgram study was a product of American culture being very authoritarian and obedience during the early 1960s and, as such, doesn’t reflect what?

Answer 24

It has been suggested that the high rate of obedience found in the Milgram study was a product of American culture being very:
1. Authoritarian
2. Obedient
during the early 1960s and, as such, doesn’t reflect obedience levels today

Question 25

External validity:
Historical validity:
It has been suggested that the high rate of obedience found in the Milgram study was a product of American culture being very authoritarian and obedient during the early 1960s and, as such, doesn’t reflect obedience levels today.
Who used an adaptation of the procedure to do what?

Answer 25

Burger (2009) used an adaptation of the procedure to investigate whether this criticism is valid

Question 26

External validity:
Ecological validity:
Milgram’s paradigm has been criticised for how what it is of real-life occurrences (giving electric shocks to people)?

Answer 26

Milgram’s paradigm has been criticised for how unrepresentative it is of real-life occurrences (giving electric shocks to people)

Question 27

External validity:
Ecological validity:
Milgram’s paradigm has been criticised for how unrepresentative it is of real-life occurrences (giving electric shocks to people).
Who performed a study to see if this was true?

Answer 27

Hofling et al. (1966) performed a study to see if this was true

Question 28

External validity:
Can the results of Milgram’s study be generalised beyond the experimental setting?
The findings have been criticised in terms of whether they are representative of females, other cultures and people of today and whether the results what?

Answer 28

The findings have been criticised in terms of whether:

1. They are representative of females, other cultures and people of today
2. The results relate to real-life settings