4.1.1 Milgram - Obidiance Flashcards
When was milligrams experiment conducted
1961
What is the name of the experiment conducted by milgram
obedience to authority
What was the aim of milgrams expirment
Milgram was interested in researching how far people would go in obeying an instruction if it involved harming another person
What was the method behind milgrims expirment
milgaram had 40 participants who received payment for attending rather than proceeding with the study. Each experimenter was introduced to a confederate. They drew lots to see who would be teacher and who would be learner but this was fixed so the particpant was always the teacher. Participant fully believed the learner was be electrocuted. The switches ranged from 15 to 450 volts. The participant asked the learner. When answered incorrectly the participant had to administer and increasing level of shock. If the participants hesitated during the process they where told to continue.
Results of milgrams study
65% of 40 males administer the highest voltage
What is the conclusion of milgrams study
Ordinary people will obey orders to hurt someone else, even if it means acting against their conscience.
What are some criticism of milgrims study (5)
- All forty participants where males
- Baumrind was very critical about the way Milgram deceived his participants claiming this level of deceit could cause trust to be lost in other psychologists
- Orne and Holland argued that participants behaved the way they did because they did not really believe in the set up and therefore the experiment had low internal validity
- very unrealistic and with low ecological validity
- rank and Jacobson only 2 out of 18 nurses gave vellum to patients who did not need it despite doctors which was a more realist version of milligrams study
What are some experiments which reaffirm milgrams expirment
- Sheridan and king conducted a similar study with puppy’s which 54% of males gave the full voltage and 100% of females gave full voltage which supports milgrams realism
- hofling et al studied nurses on a hospital ward found that levels of obedience to unjustified demands by doctors where high 21 out of 22
- The death game where 80% ppts delivered the maximum shock of 460 volts to an unconscious man
What was found to be the key to obedience in milgrams study
It was found that participants identified with the experimenter and the science of the study and when the obedience level fell this was as a result of the participants identifying less with the science and more with the learner
What was the effect of proximity on the percentage of participants who used the full voltage
The number people who used the full voltage went from 65% down to 40% when the learner and teacher where in the same room
What was the effect of touch proximity on the obedience
When the teacher had to place the students hand onto an electroshock plate when he refused to answer the obedience rate dropped by 30%
What was the effect of remote proximity being between the teacher and the authority figure
When the authority figure had to communicate through a phone with the teacher the obedience rate dropped by 20.5%
What was the effect of a change in location on the rate of obedience
When the location was changed to a run down building the rate of obedience dropped to 47.5%
What was the effect of uniform on the rate of obedience
When the lab coats where not worn by the authority figure and they where replaced by a member of public this meant the rate of obedience dropped to 20%
What where all the variations of milgrams study
Female PP’s - 65%
Victim screaming - 62.5%
Visible victim - 40%
Physical contact - 30%
Experimenter phones - 21%
Run down office - 48%
Disobedient confeds - 10%
Confed gives shocks - 95%
Teachers discretion - 2.5%
What was the experiment which proved milgrams ideas around uniform causing obedience in a more ecological valid setting
Bickman 1974 tested the ecological validity by having three male researchers give direct requests to 153 randomly selected pedestrians
80% obeyed a man in a guards uniform
40% obeyed the milkman’s uniform
40% in civilian uniform
What was the experiment which further proved Milgrams ideas of authority being followed depending on the outfit with a female researcher
Bushman 1988 where a women wore three different outfits and asked random pedestrians if they would give money to a confederate for a parking meter
Women in uniform - 72%
Women dressed in business executive - 48%
Women as beggars - 52%
Why if the obedience used as criticism of milgrams study
This is because it can be used to suggest that the NAZI’s who killed Jews where simply obeying orders rather than acknowledging their hatred for Jews
Which experiment supports milligrams ideas about legitimate authority
Blasts and Schmitt 2001
Students who where shown the experiment blamed the experimenter not the teacher and responsibility is due to legitimate authority.
What is the link between obedience and authoritarian personality
Link between obedience and dispositional situation factors
What are the six explanations for obedience which are as a result of milgrams study and variation so this study
Uniform
Proximity
Location
Agentic state
Legitimacy of authority figure
Dispositional (authoritarian personality)
What is the significance of the air Asia crash towards legitimacy of authority
Second pilot didn’t want to question the authority of the lead pilot and when some one did this led to many lives being saved
What was the effect of having increased dissenters as teachers in milgrams study
Milligrams variation three inviduals testing the learner with 2 confederated who resisted the result being that only 10% continued to the full shock level.
Individuals are more confident in their ability to resist when they have an ally who is willing to oppose the authority figure.
What was the results from milgrams study when participants where measured to be internals or externals
Holland milgramas baseline study measured with participants were internal external
37% of internals did not continue to highest shock level compared to 23% of externals
How does LOC play a role in resisting obedience
Rotter only comes into play in novel situations, has little influence over our behaviour in familiars situations where devious experiences will always be more important
This means people are more likely to obey in as situation which is new to them
