Milgram Flashcards
What area of psychology is Milgram from?
Social psychology
What is the title of Milgram’s research?
Behavioural study of obedience
What is obedience?
A form of social influence in which an individual follows a direct order
- the person issuing the order is usually a figure of perceived authority who has the power to punish when obedient behaviour is not forthcoming
Who in our society has perceived authority?
- police
- parents
- headteachers
- politicians
- government
What type of obedience was Milgram interested in?
Destructive obedience where orders are obeyed even though the individual understands the negative consequences
What were the aims of Milgram’s research?
Wanted to test the Germans are different hypothesis which explains obedience in terms f dispositional factors
- something different about the German disposition which caused their behaviour- easily follow instructions
- Germans have an authoritarian personality meaning they are more likely to be obedient towards authority
What did Milgram propose in his aims?
That people with an authoritarian personality are likely to be prejudiced against minority groups as a result of unconscious hostility arising from a harsh, disciplined upbringing and that this would be displaced onto groups such as jews, black people etc
Milgram’s methodology
Conducted in a laboratory environment variables were controlled
- not a true experiment
- NO IV OR DV
- initially intended to compare Americans with Germans
- if he had done so nationality would have acted as the IV and it would have been an experiment
What is the best categorisation for Milgram’s study?
A controlled observation in a laboratory setting
one-way mirrors, observed from outside of the room
- covert observation
What was Milgram’s hypothesis?
Germans are different
Participants
Number and make-up
40 males (20-50 yrs)
- range of jobs
- varied in educational level
- all male
- postal clerks to engineers
- did not finish primary to doctorate
- all paid £4.5 for taking part, didn’t depend on remaining
Participants
Sampling method
Self-selected
- respond to poster
Participants
Research method used
Controlled observation in a laboratory
Participants
Experimental design
N/A- there was only one condition
Procedure of Milgram’s research
1- Invited int lab, though it was memory test
2- Yale uni, grey lab coat ‘experimenter’ and ‘p’
3- Drew slips of paper - teacher
4- Ps see learner strapped in chair
5- 30-450 volts shock label
6- T given sample shock of 45 volts
7- shock when wrong, up voltage each time
8- 4 verbal prods
9- observe Ts behaviour, highest level recorded quantitative
10- debrief (dehoax), interview about experience
What were the 4 verbal prods given by the experimenter?
1- please continue
2- the experiment requires you to continue
3- you have no other choice you must go on
4- it is absolutely essential that you continue
Findings of Milgram’s research
Discussed his experiment with a group of psychology majors and a number of colleagues and asked them to estimate how many participants would administer the full 450 volts
- they estimated 0 to 3%
Findings of Milgram’s research
Quantitative data
All Ps gave a minimum of 300V (intense shock), this was the point at which the learner began protesting
- 12.5% went no further
- 65% administered the full 450V
- the rest refused to shock any further between 300-450V
- the Ps who did not disobey were called ‘obedient’ subjects
- those who did disobey were called ‘defiant’
Findings of Milgram’s research
Qualitative data
Most Ps showed extreme signs of tension
‘dig finger nails into their flesh’
‘full blown uncontrollable seizures for 3 subjects’
Overall conclusions
Ordinary people are shockingly obedient to destructive orders
- in certain situations people would kill a stranger
- the situation caused people to be highly obedient
What factors contributed to obedience?
- Location- Yale
- Perception of legitimate authority- lab coat
- Obligation to participate due to volunteering- self selected
- Inability to discuss with others during the experiment- social support decreases obedience
- Conflict between 2 tendencies, not to harm someone and to obey authority- even those who dropped out were showing signs of distress
Evaluation: Milgram
X Experimental (Internal) validity
R assumed Pd believed they were giving real shocks to learner
- unlikely as it would seem unreasonable to administer fatal 450V- Yale university
Perry criticises saying Ps knew
- M reported that up to 75% did truly believe they were real, giving electric shocks
X if Ps able to guess aim f study, B may change, demand Cs or behave as expected, result may not be valid
Evaluation: Milgram
X Ecological (external) validity
Highly controlled lab experiment in Yale university
X in real life obedience isn’t as overt as this as they were not in a mundane environment, known to them, as they were being asked to shock with electric volts
X must question the validity of the results as we cannot measure how or why obedience takes place in real life
Evaluation: Milgram
X Sample (population validity)
MENTION ONLY IS NAMED IN QUESTION
Ps were all men and were from a volunteer sample
X likely to share similar characteristics, outgoing, bought haven newspaper
X cannot be generalised to F, androcentric, male focused research
- later studies results for W were the same, sample reflects historical time, shows typical scientific practise
- those who were represented were so effectively
- M participating had a variety of jobs, ages and education
- could be generalised at the time
