Milgram Flashcards
Describe how the sample was obtained?
The sample was self-selecting and chose to participate in the study via a newspaper advert in New Havens local paper. It asked for male participants of all ages/occupations
Outline one strength of the sample technique used?
The 40 male participant in the sample were aged between 20-50 with varying occupations. This reflected the type of people who would have been nazi male officers in the Holocaust. Therefore Milgram can make meaningful comparisons as to why people are obedient and how it can lead to harm
Outline one weakness of the sampling technique used?
Obtaining a self-selecting sample using an advert in the local New Haven (Connecticut) paper meant that Milgram would only have people from New Haven, America. Therefore the sample is culturally bias and may not be representative men of all of America.
Outline one qualitative finding from Milgram (1963) study of obedience?
One qualitative finding from Milgram research is the descriptions of participants behaviours during the study (as the voltage increased). Participants showed signs of extreme stress such as sweating, trembling, biting fingernails and even full blown uncontrollable seizures.
Describe how one ethical guideline was broken in this study?
One ethical guideline Milgram broke was avoiding deception and miss information. In advertising a memory and learning study the participants were led to believe the study wasn’t about obedience. Also another deceptive issue was the fake electric chair and shock generator. The participants were again misinformed and led to believe they were inflicting actual harm/shocks onto Mr Wallace
Outline one strength of breaking this ethical guideline in this study?
By deceiving his participants they were less likely to guess the aim of the study, which meant there were no demand characteristics on display but just representative behaviours. In allowing for the representative behaviours Milgram also neglected the ethical guideline of protection from harm as some participants went on to have full blown seizures as a result of extreme stress.
In Milgram’s study of obedience, why was the teacher given a sample shock on the electric shock generator?
The participant received a 45 Volt trial shock in order to make the experience more realistic, whilst showing the participants every time they administered an electric shock they see inflicting harm into another individual
Explain how Milgram’s study of obedience relates to the social area of psychology?
- Looks at replicating instances that would happen in society (eg, the Holocaust and abiding to the instructions of a legitimate authority figure.
- Also looks at the extent to which behaviour is influenced by other people.
(How we interact in society and how this influences our behaviour, as well as how behaviour influences our actions)
Explain with examples how the study of obedience links to the social area?
It explores the extent to which other people and the surrounding environment are major influences on an individual’s behaviour (thought processes and emotions).
Participants were told by white they perceived as a legitimate authority figure ( man in lab coat ) to administer ‘genuine electric shocks’ to a learner when they got the word pair wrong.
Observations noted all participants were prepared to obey until 300v and the majority to the lethal 450v. This indicates that individuals are willing to murder an innocent person in response to ores given by an authority figure. Therefore showing how people can impact an individual behaviour eg. The prods given by the experimenter meant the teacher felt obliged to continue.
Describe how Milgram’s study into obedience and explain how it relates to the article
APFC
Milgram began his study in order to investigate whether people would show obedience to an authority figure who told them to administer electric shocks to another person.
Milgram’s study was completed through controlled observation. Firstly the participant met Mr Wallace and the experimenter. Through fixed lottery MR Wallace was always the learner who was strapped into the electric chair whilst the teacher watched. In a separate room the teacher received a trial shock of 45v, whilst the learner ‘memorised the word pairs’. The teacher then tested the learner by reading a single word and 4 options. They then played the premeditated tale recording of Mr Wallace getting the incorrect answer. An incorrect answer warranted a 15v shock which increased 15v per incorrect answer. When the shocks reached 300v the learner went silent ( told to treat as incorrect answer). The experiment ended when the teacher refused or the voltage had reached 450. It was found 100% participants passed the 300v and 65% reached 450v. The conclusions reached were that the situation produced strong tendencies to obey the legitimate authority figure whilst also suggesting it had caused emotional strain and tension (which can be evident through sweating, nervous laughter and 3 full blown seizures. This study links to the article as he is a legitimate authority figure whose (wearing hi-viz jacket) uniform leads to ‘people obey his instructions’ much like the scenario in Milgram’s study as they believed the experimenter (due to the location and white lab coat). Additionally the sample was self-selecting just like Kouk who volunteers to control the situation.
Outline what is meant by the individual and situational debate and how one side of he debate may apply to the article?
The individual situational debate looks at the extent to which behaviours are a result of characteristics or are influenced by social groups and the environment. The article can be seen through a situational perspective because he is the closest to the congestion/problem. The congestion is ‘in front of a bakery where he is employed’ therefore aiding/improving business. Also the situation provides him extrinsic rewards of praise and tips.Lastly encouragement from his boss is an influence in to why he continues to do what he does.
What was the background of Milgram’s study?
The Holocaust and Nazis like Adolf Eichmann who was directly responsible for over 4 million Jewish deaths. Although at the Nuremberg trials denied responsibility claiming the reason for mass genocide was they were ‘just following orders’
Which Nazi inspired Milgram to undertake the study?
Adolf Eichmann at the Nuremberg trials
Approximately how many deaths was Eichmann responsible for?
4 million due to his reports to Himmler
What are some quotes taken directly from the Nuremberg trials?
‘Just following orders’
‘I’m a victim of an error in judgement’
‘Obedience was demanded’
What was the aim of the Milgram’s study?
To investigate whether participants would show obedience to a legitimate authority figure who told them to administer electric shocks to another person
What was Milgram’s sample?
40 males/men from New Haven in America
Aged between 20-50
Varying occupations
How did Milgram obtain the sample?
Milgram advertised a memory and learning study in the local New Haven paper using an advertisement asking for men to participate. Self-selecting sample
What is a positive of the sampling technique used?
Self - Selecting
Little effort is required to obtain sample
More likely to get representative behaviour as participants are interested and want to be there
What is a negative about the sampling technique used in Milgram’s study?
Self-selecting
Not always generalisable as only certain people will show up - confident and strong viewed
