Burger 2009

Question 1

Aims

Answer 1

Wanted to see if Millgram (1963)’s results could be applicable on people of society in 2009

Question 2

Sample

Answer 2

70 ppts men + women that were selected
Paid 50 dollars BEFORE the experiment unlike Millgram
Got volunteers through a newspaper ad
20-81 years old x
Screened ppts to see wether they had prior psychology knowledge or anxiety or drug issues

Question 3

Procedure

Answer 3

Experiment replicated millgrams baseline study
Experimentor in white lab coat that gives shocks
However the test shockw as 15V unlike Millgrams 45V that was given to the ppt
At 75V the learner would start to give our cries
While 150V the learner would beg for them to stop and complain abt their condition
The learner would state they have a heart condition but the experimentor woukd state it isnt harmful
Itd start at 15V and go up every 15V interval
Burger states that if a ppt willingly goes up to 150V Its okay to assume theyd carry on till 450V
If the ppt would go past 165V the experiment would be stopped.

Question 4

Procedure .2

Answer 4

Second condition uses a second learner that is a confederate , that when adminstering the shocks
They reply “i dont want to do this “ and the naïve particpant takes over

Control experiment , as Burger argues that empathy was an extraneous variable that is not controlled

Question 5

Results

Answer 5

70 percent reached to 150V compared ro 82.5% in Milgrams study
There wasnt a significant difference in gender

Empathy wasnt sig

Question 6

Evaluation strength

Answer 6

High generalisibility as theres both men and women in the experiment and and a wider range of ages 20-81 years old

They were also paid before the experiment, showing that the exp is highly likely to be due to only social pressure , not due to money

Question 7

Weakness

Answer 7

Millgrams study still lacks ecological validity as teachers wouldnt give electric shocks to their learners in real life , this still applies to Burgers study

Burger still had deceived his participants into thinking it was a memory study , the shocks were also not real and demonstrated towards rhe teachers, while psychological harm was reduced it was not eliminated as theres still going to be distress

Stopping experiment at 150V was invalid, huge assumption that says that they would carry onto 450V