Milgram Flashcards
Aims
Investigate:
- if obedience is dispositional or situational
- the ‘Germans are different’ hypothesis
- if Germans had authoritarian personalities
Context (names only)
- Albert Eichmann
- Theodore Adorno
- Time period (after WW2)
Albert Eichmann Context
- on trial as head of the Gestapo
- killed 4 million Jews
- defence = obeying orders
Theodore Adorno Context
- researched personality
- found one personality type = obeys more
- authoritarian personality
- respects authority + order
- serves those above and hates those below
Time period Context
- after WW2
- (American) people thought Germans = evil race
Name of research
Behavioural Study of Obedience
Date of research
1963
Number, age and gender of ppts (procedures)
40 men 20-50 years old
-All physically and mentally healthy and not in armed forces
Sample
- ad in local paper
- paid $4.50
- stamford uni
- ppts not aware of nature of study - thought = memory test
Experiment procedures
- Met by experimenter in white lab coat
- Met Mr Wallace as other ppt but actually confederate
- Both picked roles out hat, all said teacher but Mr Wallace lied and said learner
- Mr Wallace strapped to electric chair
- When ppt left got out of chair and tape played
- ppt given 45V shock
- ppt given generator with switches from 15V to 450 V (LETHAL) in intervals of 15V
- Teachers asked Qs if learner = wrong = shock
- 300V yelled in pain + heart problem
- 350V = silent (dead?)
Prod #1
“please continue”
Prod #2
“the experiment requires that you continue”
Prod #3
“It is absolutely essential that you continue”
Prod #4
“You have no choice you must go on”
Findings
- Every ppt continued to 300V (before scream)
- -@300V 5 people refused to continue
- 26/40 (65%) continued to 450V
- Only 35% defied authority
- ppts showed visible signs of distress
- 3 had full seizures
Milgram’s student’s predictions:
- 14 psychology students
- Few stop early
- Few go to 450V
- Most stop in middle
- Less than 1% would give lethal shock
Findings when interviewed after study
- 75% learnt something valuable
- 84% glad to have taken part
- ppts who laughed said it was nervous
Conclusions (x4)
- people are torn between pain of victim and conflicting demands from authority
- obedience depends on the environment in which it happens
- people will obey authority for their actions if they believe that they can
- being able to blame authority = AGENTIC SHIFT
Alternative Evidence (names only)
- Hofling et al 1966 (SUPPORTS)
- Orne and Holland 1968 (AGAINST)
- Sheridan and King 1972 (SUPPORTS)
Hofling et al 1966
-Nurses give double recommended dose of astrofen
-Dr back soon to sign authorisation form - illegal without written consent first
-21/22 gave meds
-control 21/22 said wouldn’t do it
SUPPORTS b/c:
-authority can be greater influence on beh. than general rules
-what people say they’ll do and what they actually do = v. different
Orne and Holland 1968
-Milgram’s exp lacked exp validity
-ppts were not convinced situation was real
-simply displaying DCs
-picked up cues from experimenter + didn’t belive Mr Wallace was being shocked
AGAINST b/c:
-ppts not obeying simply DCs
- limited b/c video shows wrong b/c ppts = in distress
Sheridan and King 1972
-found high levels of obedience when people know situation = real
-students train puppy
-when puppe=wrong=shock
-small shocks but puppy cried and squealed
-75% still gave puppy max shock
SUPPORTS b/c:
-students still shocked even though could see + hear pain
-similar % to Milgram’s
-limited b/c extrapolation so cant generalise to humans
-limited b/c students could see puppies so knew weren’t dying
