Blass, Man Who Shocked the World Flashcards
What were the first four experiments in Milgrams study trying to determine?
If physical/mental distance between teacher (participant) and learner (confederate) would affect obedience
What was the remote condition?
Learner in different room
Could only hear pound on wall after 300 VT
Most people went through with this (65%)
What was the voice feedback condition?
Still in separate room, but now prerecorded complaints
These complaints caused slightly less obedience (62%)
What was the proximity condition?
Now learner was only a few feet away from participant, and had to act.
Had same complaints, but now participant saw bodily reaction
Dropped obedience rate to 40% now
What was the touch proximity condition?
In same room
How confederate had to put hand on metal plate to receive punishment - participants would have to order them to do this
(30% did this)
What two measures did milgram use on participants, and what does their result mean?
- Highest volt you go up to
- Delay in punishing (hesitation before shocking)
Shows: that the more remote condition = less hesitation and longer shock
What did Milgram say is the reason for why we act?
Our actions are situationally determined
What factors determined if someone would be defiant?
If they objected earlier
Ability to emphasize with shocked person
The experimenter would not take any requests, making the participant more stubborn about stopping
How did Milgram find that other people help resistance to authority?
Had three teachers in one room (one =real participant, and others = confederates)
At 150 or 210 VT the confederates defy experimenter & confederate follows their example (only 10% finished it)
Milgram ran his initial studies at Yale uni, what is the significance of this?
Yale is an authority figure
When same tests = run somewhere else, little decrease in obedience
