Milgram Flashcards
what is the aim of milgrams og experiment
investigate obediance to authority, specifically whether ppl would follow orders to hurt another person
how many participents were there, describe profile (milgrams)
40 m, recruited via newspaper ad
what were participents paid (milgrams)
$4.50
what did the ppts have to do (milgrams)
ppts assigned role of ‘teacher’ and instructed to admister shocks to a ‘learner’ (confederate)
what was the range of shock levels
15-450v
what were the 4 verbal prods milgram used
“Please continue.”
“The experiment requires that you continue.”
“It is absolutely essential that you continue.”
“You have no other choice, you must go on.”
what % went to max volts (milgram)
65%
what was the minimum number of volts that ALL ppts went to
300 volts
what conclusion did milgram draw
ppl r highly obediant to authority despite moral conflict. factors such as legitimacy of authority and proximity to authority figure plays a crucial role in obedience
how is there high internal validity (milgram)
-controlled environment in lab setting ensured cause and effect conclusions abt obedience
-standardised procedures such as 4 prods, scripted responces- reduced extranious variables
how is (milgram) study reliable
-replicated multiple times, variations, burger in 2009
-cross cultural replications (Spain, germany) showed high obediance levels
explain 2 ways the study (milgram) has real world benefits
-helps explain real world atrocities such as Nazi war crimes, mai lai massacre and shows how ordinary ppl obey harmful orders under authoritative pressures
-debunks the ‘german are different’ hypothesis. Milgrams findings challenged the idea that germans are obediant to authority and showed ANYONE can obey destructive orders under the right conditions
How was their high experimental realism (milgram)
-ppts were highly distressed which shows that they believed sitch was real.
-verbal protests and hesitation show moral strain
list 4 strengths of (milgram) study
> High internal validity
Reliability
Real world application
experimental realism
explain ethical weaknesses of (milgram) study
> DECEPTION- ppt believe shocks real, suffering real
PSYCHOLOGICAL HARM-visible distress shown even a seizure (sweating, trembling)
Right to withdraw not clear with prods such as ‘‘you have no choice, you must go on’’
explain how (milgr
am) lacks ecological validity
conducted in lab at yale, not real world scenario
What did Orne & Holland suggest abt Milgrams study
ppts may have suspected shocks were fake, reducing validity of experiments (however post experiment interviews suggest most believed it was real)
Explain a weakness of (milgram) study in terms of population validity
only 40m participents, aged 20-50 all from USA
name the 3 variation studies
- office block variation
2.telephone instructions variation
3.ordinary man variation
what was the office block variation, and what was the percentage obediance
-moved from yale–> Bridgport Conneticut
-by private institution not yale
obedience: 47%
what conclusion can we draw from the run down office variation
prestigous environment increases compliances, while a less formal setting reduces perceieved authority. However almost half obeyed so authority still remains influencial even in less prestigious setting
what was the telephone instruction variation and what were the obediance results
experimenter gave instructions over phone instead of being in room.
after giving initial instruction, experimenter left and participents were left alone in lab
obedience: 20.5%
what conclusion can be drawn from telephone instruction variation study?
proximity of authority is crucial, obediance lower when authority figure not present and defiance increases
what was the ordinary man variation procedure and what was percentage obediance
3 ppl involved Participent, learner (confederate), ordinary man (confederate)
experimenter gives instructions then leaves
the ‘ordinary man’ suggests increasing the shocks, rather than official experimenter
obediance: 20.5%
what conclusion can be drawn from the ordinary man variation
legitimacy matters
supports social impact theory
name as many factors affecting obediance
-proximity of authority
-location/legitimacy
-uniform
-presence of dissenters
-gradual committment
-personality
what is gradual commitment (factors affecting obediance) ‘‘foot-in-the-door’’
participents committed to small shocks found it harder to refuse as levels increased
ONCE OBEY SMALLER REQUEST MORE LIKELY TO OBEY LARGER ONE
how are uniform and location/legitimact factors affecting obediance
official looking uniform (labcoat) increases pereceived authority and therby obedience
Bickman:obey security guard more than regular man
explain adorno’s theories for factors affecting obediance
people with authoritarian personalities are more likely to obey
Charecteristics of authoritarian: respect for authority, rigid thinking, hostility towards minorities
for the ordinary man variation, after he suggests to increase the voltage after the experimenter leaves the room, what did the ppts do?
5 of them unplugged machine
locus of control and factors affecting obediance
belief abt the extent to which they control their own lives
