Asch, Zimbardo and Milgram Flashcards
Asch’s aim
To examine the extent to which social pressure from a majority affects individual conformity.
Asch’s sample
123 white American men pts in groups of 7-9 on a round table
Asch’s procedure
A “real” ppt was seated in a row among confederates.
The ppt was seated 6th in a row of 7 people.
The goal of the study was to examine perceptual judgments & the participants were instructed to pick which of 3 lines “matched” a standard line.
The true ppt could see that one of the lines was obviously a match, the others obviously wrong.
In 12 out of the 18 studies (the critical studies) the confederates were told to give the WRONG answer.
In 6 trials they gave the wrong answer of a longer line.
In 6- a wrong short line was identified.
The real ppt was seated second to last so listened to the same wrong answer over and over before giving theirs.
Asch’s overall conformity rate
37%
How many conformed on every critical trial, Asch
5%
How many remained completely independent
Asch
25%
How many conformed at least once
Asch
75%
What were Asch’s 3 variations
- Difficulty of tasks
- Size of majority
A group size of 3 led to conformity, but adding further confederates made little difference to whether or not the participants conformed. - Unanimity
Asch introduced a confederate who disagreed with the others. The presence of a dissenting confederate led to reduced conformity This suggests that the influence of the majority depends to some extent on the group being unanimous.
What was error rate when pts tested alone
Asch
less than 1%
1 participant : 1 confederate =
1 participant : 2 confederate =
1 participant : 3 confederate =
3%
13%
32%
How did Asch change size of majority
from 1-15 to see if the number of people made more of a difference.
In a very small group, conformity rose to 32%, most people are sensitive to the views of others so needed little influence.
In a large scale group, very little difference in conformity.
How did Asch change the unamity of the group and what were the results
Introduced a confederate who acted as a dissenter within the group. The real pp conformed less when the dissenter was there
Variation one: confederate asked to give correct answer, conformity dropped to 5%
Variation two: confederate asked to give a different incorrect answer, conformity dropped to 9%
Zimbardo aim
people would conform to the roles of guards and prisoners in a role-playing simulation of a prison environment.
To test whether prison violence was down to the sadistic nature of the personalities within the prison or if the
Zimbardo procedure
21 male university students responded to a newspaper advert that offered $15 a day to take part in an experiment. 21 students were picked (the most mentally and physically stable – 10 guards and 11 prisoners). They were randomly allocated to the roles. Zimbardo played the role of the prison superintendent.
Prisoners were dehumanised , deloused, fingerprinted and stripped. Prisoners were given uniforms that were bleak, whilst guards were given a superior uniform with sunglasses , truncheons and handcuffs, etc.
9 prisoners were placed 3 to a cell and the study was planned to run for 2 weeks, but was eventually cut short.
How early did 1st prisoner leave
36 hours
When ws study stopped
6 days
Zimbardo resulst
Both groups settled quickly into their roles. An early prisoner revolution was crushed and the guards consolidated their power by increasingly severe punishments.
The prisoners failed to seriously question the guard’s motives and delegation of tasks, suggesting they were conforming to their given social roles.
One prisoner had to be withdrawn after 36 hours due to uncontrollable fits of rage and crying. 3 more had similar symptoms in the days afterwards and were released.
The study was stopped after only 6 days, and only after Zimbardo was shown the extent of the damage by a visiting psychologist.
Both roles later expressed surprise at how they acted in the situation.
Zimbardo conclude
The situational explanation appears to have been supported here, as the group were considered mentally stable beforehand, suggesting that the situational had been the main driver behind the behaviour.
People readily conform to social roles, regardless of the morality of the situation.
Milgram aim
To see if people would obey the orders of an authority figure, even when there were fatal consequences.
Milgram sample
40 American men with a range of educational and occupational , volunteer
What happened when Milgram volunteers arrived
They were introduced to another participant (actually confederate): Mr. Neill Wallace. He chatted with the ppt beforehand and said he had been out of work for a while due to having a heart attack 6 months ago.
Were the lots fixed for teacher and learner
yes
Teacher thought learner could hear but was actually
A recording
could teacher see learner
no
What did voltage increase by
15v
What did voltage go up to
450v
What were 4 prods
Prod 1: Please continue.
Prod 2: The experiment requires you to continue.
Prod 3: It is absolutely essential that you continue.
Prod 4: You have no other choice but to continue.
100% went up to what voltage
300v
how many went up to highest voltage 450v
65%
__._% stopped after ___V
12.5
300
How many had seizures
3
Milgram shows support for legitimacy of authority
moving the study from the prestigious Yale University to a run down office block lowered obedience levels from __% to __%.
65
47.5
How many obeyed when
Loss of uniform
20%
How many obeyed when
Close proximity
40%
How many obeyed when
Touch proximity
30%
How many conformed when
Orders over phone
21%
How many conformed when
Social support off disobedient role model
Went to 450V
15%
What happened in loss of uniform
The experimenter appeared to be an ordinary member of society (a confederate) without wearing
the white coat.
Actual level of obedience: 20%
what happened in location variable
Experimenter moved from prestigious yale uni to a rundown office block in nearby bridge port
Actual level of obedience: 47.5%
what happened in proximity variation
1- Learner moved into the same room as teacher
Actual level of obedience: 40%
2- Teacher instructed to hold learners hand on shock plate
Actual level of obedience: 30%
What happened in remote authority
Experimenter left room and gave instructions over the phone
Actual level of obedience: 20.5%
