Milgram (1963) Behavioural Study of Obedience - Methodology Flashcards
Why was Milgram interested in obedience?
- after his family left Europe to escape the Nazis, Milgram was motivated to help explain the Holocaust
- was this a product of evil and sadistic minds or was this extraordinary behaviour produced by ordinary people?
- with the Holocaust in mind and his interest in obedience, Milgram conducted research to test obedience to authority
What was Milgram’s aims?
1) he wanted to test the ‘Germans are different’ hypothesis - a belief that obedience can be explained in terms of internal (dispositional) factors or situational factors - this could help explain the behaviour of Nazi leaders in WW2
2) Milgram recognised that obedience was part of social life and that it is generally desirable to obey authority figures. He aimed to find out if people would obey an order that demanded destructive behaviour - rather than just everyday obedience
What was the methodology?
- research method: the study was conducted in a laboratory environment so that conditions could be well controlled
- it was not an experiment but a controlled observation conducted in a laboratory
How did he find his participants?
Milgram placed an advertisement in a New Haven (American) newspaper
Who was Milgram asking for to be participants?
he was asking for males aged 20-50
Who did Milgram choose for his sample?
he chose 40 from the males that volunteered
What type of sampling technique was used?
a self-selecting sampling technique
The men in the sample held a range of…
- the men in the sample held a range of jobs from postal clerks to engineers
- they also ranged in educational background, from one who hadn’t finished primary school to one with a doctorate
What did participants think they were being recruited for?
participants thought they were being recruited for a test on memory and learning
