Milgram Flashcards
What is the aim of Milgram?
To test how far ordinary people go when being ordered to give electric shocks
What is the sample of Milgram?
Volunteer sampling of 40 men aged 20-50 through newspaper ad, paid $4, told it was a human learning experiment at Yale university
What was the procedure?
Split into teachers (read out word pairs) and learners (learn words to be tested on)
Learner = confederate through fixed draw
Given a 45V shock to show that it was real
Gave learners shocks every time they got the answer wrong, increasing by 15V each time
Verbal prods ‘you have no choice you must continue’
No contact with the learner up until 300V when they banged on the wall and didn’t answer anymore questions
What are the results of Milgram?
100% went to 300V
65% went to 450%
Signs of distress e.g. nervous laughter
What did Milgram conclude?
Ordinary people obey orders from an authority figure in extreme conditions even if they feel uncomfortable
Why was Milgram’s procedure standardised?
Same prods/shocks so we can repeat the study to see how reliable the results are
What is a strength of Milgram’s sample?
Consisted of men from varying jobs and backgrounds so its more representative of a wider population
Why is it good that the participants did not know what the study was about obedience?
No demand characteristics, less likely to change behaviour
What is an ethical issue with Milgram?
Psychological harm - nervous laughter
Why is it not good that Milgram conducted his study in a lab experiment?
Lacks ecological validity so does not apply to real life
What is a weakness of Milgram’s sample?
Androcentric, ethnocentric so not representative of the wider population
