Key Research: Milgrim (1963) Flashcards
What was the aim of the research?
To find out in participants will conform and obey orders from an authoritative figure with power.
Who were the sample of the experiment?
Participants were 40 males, aged between 20 and 50, whose jobs ranged from unskilled to professional
How were the roles determined?
The participant met with a confederate and drew straws, though Milgrim made sure that the confederate was always the learner and the participant was always the teachers
Where did the research take place?
Two rooms in the Yale Interaction Laboratory were used - one for the learner (with an electric chair) and another for the teacher and experimenter with an electric shock generator.
What was the procedure for this research?
- The “learner” was strapped to a chair with electrodes. After he has learned a list of word pairs given him to learn, the “teacher” tests him by naming a word and asking the learner to recall its partner/pair from a list of four possible choices.
- The teacher is told to administer an electric shock every time the learner makes a mistake, increasing the level of shock each time.
What was the range of voltages?
There were 30 switches on the shock generator marked from 15 volts (slight shock) to 450 (danger – severe shock).
What happens if the participant resisted?
When the teacher refused to administer a shock, the experimenter was to give a series of 4 orders/prods to ensure they continued.
What were the results of the experiment?
65% (two-thirds) of participants (i.e., teachers) continued to the highest level of 450 volts. All the participants continued to 300 volts.
How many variations of the study did Milgrim do?
he carried out 18 variations of his study. All he did was alter the situation (IV) to see how this affected obedience (DV).
What was the conclusion of the study?
Ordinary people are likely to follow orders given by an authority figure, even to the extent of killing an innocent human being. Obedience to authority is ingrained in us all from the way we are brought up.
