Milgram 1 (experiment) Flashcards
What was the methodology?
A controlled observation
What was the aim of the experiment?
To investigate what level of obedience participants would show when an authority figure told them to administer electric shocks to another person
What was the sample?
40 males aged 20-50 from the New Haven area. They were a variety of people with a variety of careers.
How was the sample obtained?
Self-selected or volunteer sampling. Participants were obtained from a newspaper advertisement and direct mailings.
Were the participants rewarded with anything?
The participants were paid $4.50 for taking part, regardless of what happened
What was the procedure?
Volunteers were told to administer electric shocks of increasing voltage to a learner each time the learner made an error
What was the learning task?
The teacher read a series of word pairs. Learner had to match a word to its word pair by pressing the right button.
What was significant about the shock generator?
Made to look and sound real. Professionally made with all the labelled switches and model and make on it
Before shock level 300, nothing was heard from the learner. What happened at this level and onwards?
300 - pounding on the wall & protests. 315 - pounding repeated and this was the last we heard from him
Why was the feedback given to the teacher standardised?
To control for variations in the procedure that could affect the outcome
What happened after the study?
Participants were interviewed and given attitude scales to ensure they leave in a state of well-being
