Contemporary Study: Burger

Question 1

Aim of Burger study

Answer 1

• To investigate whether there is a difference in the level of obedience that people exhibit in the modern day compared to Milgram
• To investigate if personality factors such as empathy and desire for control affect obedience

Question 2

Participants of Burger study

Answer 2

• 29 men and 41 women
• The participants were asked if they have been college and whether they taken any psychology courses, this was done to screen out individuals who knew about Milgram’s obedience researcher and people who had knowledge of the study were kicked out
• People who may of found the study distressing were also kicked out and these were based off interviews conducted by a clinical psychologist
• People with high anxiety and depression were also excluded

Question 3

Procedure of Burger study

Answer 3

• Burger included two questionnaires; empathic concern to look at how high the persons tendency to feel sympathy for other is and desire for control to see how motivated a person is to stay in control of their lives
• Participants were introduced to the confederate and researchers, who were white Caucasian men similar to the ones in Milgram’s experiment
• The participants were told multiple times verbally by the researchers and in writing that they could leave at any point of the experiment
• Participants always had the role of the teacher
• Participants and the confederate signed a consent form agreeing to partake in the experiment
• Confederate was told to learn from word pairs as a learner, the participants was told to deliver shocks when the confederate gave wrong answers
• Researchers informed the participants they must move up one switch every time the confederate gave the wrong answer
• There was pre-recorded sounds played after a 75V shock (audible grunts of pain) and 150V (My heart’s starting to bother me now … I refuse to go on, let me out)

Question 4

Findings of Burger study

Answer 4

• Obedience rate was slightly lower than Milgram’s. 70% pressed the 150V button compared to the 82.5% in Milgram’s Experiment
• No significant difference in the obedience rates of men and women however women were slightly more obedient
• No significant difference in the empathic concern scores between defiant and obedient participants however defiant participants did have significantly higher desire for person control score

Question 5

Conclusion of Burger study

Answer 5

• The findings show that the level of obedience shown in Milgram’s experiment were not era bound or male bound
• It also showed that the experiment was reliable as the results were replicated
• It also shows that a lack of empathy is not a reason that people follow orders to harm others

Question 6

Strength of Burger Study

Answer 6

• One strength of the study was that there was a screen procedure done
• Burger excluded people who already knew about Milgram’s experiments from the study and also those who have taken psychology classes, ensuring that everyone who took part were not aware of the finding of Milgram or psychological research
• This is beneficial for the study as it would of changed the behaviour of participants, making them act unnatural giving us inaccurate results from the experiment

Question 7

Weakness of Burger Study

Answer 7

• One weakness of the study was that the findings may not be applicable to the real world obedience
• Elms claims thar Burger’s experiment was ended at the 150V mark which is before the participants felt intense internal conflict
• Therefore the study doesn’t adequately show whether a person would continue to demonstrate obedience even if they believed that they were causing serious harm