Contemporary study - Burger (2009) Flashcards
What are the aims of the study ?
- Will there be little difference in obedience between 1961-1962 & 2009
- Less obedient if refusal is modelled by someone else before participant engages in behaviour
- No gender differences
How were participants recruited ?
Responded to advertisement who were familiar with Milgram’s work or anyone who attended 2+ psychology classes
What were participants screened for ?
- Age
- Occupation
- Education
- Ethnicity
What was used to check state of mind ?
Beck Anxiety Inventory
How were participants who may react negatively screened ?
- Structured interview
- Checked self motivation & empathetic concerns
Who did the sample consist of ?
- 70 participants
- 29 men & 41 women
- 40 = base condition
- 30 = modelled refusal condition
- 20-81 years
What were participants offered ?
$50 for completing 2 sessions lasting 45m each
Were participants introduced to experimenter & confederate ?
- Yes
- White male in mid-30s = experimenter
- White male in 50s = confederate
What were participants told was the aim of the study ?
Looking at the effect of punishment on learning
How were roles allocated ?
- Drew lots
- Rigged = participant always teacher
What did participants complete a consent form for ?
- They may be videotaped
- Could end participation at any time & keep money
Where were the teacher & learner taken ?
- Room with table, chair, intercom box & box with 4 switches
- Learner strapped into chair
- Experimenter explaining ‘electrodes’ & ‘blisters’ & mentioned it was wired up to a shock generate in another room
What was explained to the confederate ?
- Told teacher would read out 25 word pairs
- Then read one of pair’s out with 4 possible answers
- Learner had to identify correct word pair but pressing button
- Incorrect answer = electric shock
What did the learner confess ?
- Had slight heart condition
- Experimenter reassured shocks were painful but not dangerous
What was explained to the participant ?
- Taken to adjacent room
- Shock generated with 30 switches from 15V to 450V in 15V increments
- Participant given sample shock of 45V
- Instructed to begin word pairs & then enter learning task
- Incorrect answer = shock given, increasing in 15V each time
- Experiment stopped at 150V
What were the differences in the modelled refusal condition ?
- Second confederate
- Confederate matched participants gender
- Role allocation was rigged = new confederate = teacher 1, participants = teacher 2
- Teacher 1 started experiment = 75V ‘grunted’, 90V said ‘I don’t know about this’ & stopped after verbal prod
- Teacher 2 asked to take over after 90V
What were the results between base condition & Milgram’s variation 5 ?
- Base condition = 12/40 (30%) stopped at 150V or sooner compared to 7/40 (17.5%) in Milgram’s variation 5
- Base condition = 28/40 (30%) went to continue at 150V compared to 33/40 (82.5%) in Milgram’s variation 5
- Obedience in 2009 70% compared to 82.5% in 1963 = different not significant
What were the results between base conditions & modelled refusal condition ?
- Base = 12/40 (30%) stopped at 150V or less compared to 11/30 (37%) in modelled refusal
- Base = 28/40 (70%) went to continue past 150V compared to 19/30 (63%) in modelled refusal
- Obedience lower in modelled refusal at 37% compared to 30% = not statistically significant
- Modelled refusal showed more dissent = shown first verbal prod earlier
What were the results in gender ?
- Base condition = 12/18 men (67%) & 16/22 (73%) women were obedient
- Modelled refusal = 6/11 (55%) men % 13/19 (68%) women were obedient
- Women showed more dissent in modelled refusal condition
Where there any significant differences in age, race, education % empathic personality ?
No
What showed a statistical difference in base condition only ?
Desire for control & obedience, with high locus of control being less obedient
What was concluded ?
- Cultural changes over time haven’t changed our obedience levels
- Same situational factors apply
- Right to withdraw reminders had no impact
- No gender difference = women may feel more moral strain
What steps were taken to combat Milgram’s research to ensure its ethically sound ?
- Two step screening to exclude any negative reactions
- Told at least 3 times they could withdraw
- Only 15V shock example administered
- Study not go further than 150V
- No time between ending session & debrief
- Experimenter running study was clinical psychologist & end immediately if excessive stress
