Milgram 1963 Study

Question 1

Describe milgrams sample

Answer 1

• 40 males who responded to newspaper ad in new haven
• believed study was about memory and learning, but it was obedience
• 20-50 years old
• variety of jobs and degrees of education
• paid $4.50 for participation but told it was for attending the lab

Question 2

Describe milgrams methodology/procedure

Answer 2

• controlled observation at Yale
• introduced to another P, Mr Wallace
• draw slips for student or teacher (all teacher)
• teacher and learner in adjacent rooms with an electric chair, teacher taken to room with shock machine
• Mr Wallace told to give 3 wrong answers for every right, and certain responses to voltages
• experimenter in room w shock machine and acted as authority, gave teacher shock to show it was real
• teacher told to administer shock for every wrong answer and increase voltage each time
• experimenter had 4 set statements if teacher hesitated
• all parties fully debriefed at end

Question 3

Describe milgrams findings

Answer 3

• before study 14 psych majors estimated 0-3% of Ps would administer the full 450V
• many Ps showed signs of extreme tension and 3 had full blown seizures

Question 4

Describe milgrams conclusions

Answer 4

• circumstances that Ps found themselves in would create a situation difficult to disobey
• 13 elements contributed to obedience, including the money and Yales reputation

Question 5

Validity of Milgram: realism

Answer 5

• study in a lab so lacked ecological validity
• study doesn’t tell us what factors are at play in everyday obedience in less extreme situations
• Orne and Holland accuse study of lacking experimental realism

Question 6

Validity of Milgram: biased sample

Answer 6

• all male sample - is it transferable to female??
• not representative of American population
• Ps volunteered - volunteer personality type?
• 636 Ps tested across new haven so maybe representative of small American town
• findings were replicated elsewhere and similar findings
  —> majority in industrialised western cultures so need to be cautious before labelling as a universal social behavioue

Question 7

Ethics of Milgram: deception

Answer 7

• Ps thought they weee shocking a person when they weren’t
• Milgram argued this illusion necessary to get the results for the study
• after debriefing, 83.7% said they were happy to have participated and only 1.3% wished they hadn’t

Question 8

Ethics of Milgram: protection

Answer 8

• exposed to very stressful situations that may result in psychological harm
• signs of tension, 3 seizures, many asked to stop
• only short term effects and all fine after debriefing
• Ps assured their reaction was normal and follow ups showed no psychological harm was done

Question 9

Ethics of Milgram: RTW

Answer 9

• BPS states that RTW should always be accessible to all Ps during experiment
• experimenter had 4 statements that essentially discouraged RTW
• Milgram argued orders were necessary to study obedience
• it was difficult to do so but clearly possible as 35% of Ps did withdraw