Milgram

Question 1

What is the aim of his study?

Answer 1

To investigate whether destructive obedience to authority is unique to Germans or whether anyone could display brutality simply by following orders

Question 2

What was the hypothesis?

Answer 2

No explicit hypothesis but “An individual who is commanded by legitimacy authority figure ordinarily obeys”

Question 3

What is the IV?

Answer 3

No IV as it isn’t an experiment as it is a controlled observation

Question 4

What is the DV?

Answer 4

Obedience levels measured in shocks

Question 5

What are some possible EV’s?

Answer 5

Location
Researcher bias
Payment 
Demand characteristics 
Social desirability

Question 6

What is the location of his study and some features of this

Answer 6

LAB LOCATION
Controlled environment
Controlled setting
Allow specialist equipment such as shock generator

Question 7

What are some strengths of his location?

Answer 7

Control EV’s ↑internal validity

Standardised procedures= repeatable

Question 8

Weaknesses of the location

Answer 8

Lacks ecological validity

Greater chance of demand characteristics

Question 9

What methodologies did he use?

Answer 9

Non-ppt observation

Structured interview

Question 10

What are the advantages and disadvantages of non ppt observations

Answer 10

+objective
+less researcher bias
+higher internal validity
-miss important insights

Question 11

What are the advantages and disadvantages of structured interviews

Answer 11

+easy to compare
+less chance of bias ↑validity
-social desirability
-can’t deviate from Q’s

Question 12

Who was his target population?

Answer 12

Everyone

Question 13

What was the sampling technique

Answer 13

Self selected

Question 14

What was the sampling frame?

Answer 14

New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Question 15

Who was the sample?

Answer 15

40 males aged 20-50
Advert in newspaper
Range of jobs and education
Paid $4.50 on arrival

Question 16

What are the strength and weaknesses of the sample?

Answer 16

+easy
+wide variety of ppts
-volunteer bias

Question 17

What are some examples of quantitative data

Answer 17

All ppts went past 300v
5 refused to go past 300v
26 went to full volts
14 nervous laughter

Question 18

What are some advantages and disadvantages of quantitative data?

Answer 18

+objective and easy to analyse

-oversimplification

Question 19

What are some examples of qualitative data?

Answer 19

Sweating, trembling, stuttering, non sadistic laughter

Question 20

Advantages and disadvantages of qualitative data

Answer 20

+high in detail

-hard to analyse, subjective

Question 21

Identify the levels of measurement and examples

Answer 21

Nominal ➛shocks in categories
Ordinal ➛rate intensity of pain on 14 point scale
Ratio ➛precise intervals in volts

Question 22

Identify ethical issues and how they were dealt with

Answer 22

DECEPTION: advert in paper, procedure, sample shock ➛ debrief, right to withdraw

PSYCHOLOGICAL HARM: signs of stress, anxiety and humiliation ➛ debrief (84% glad to take part)

VALID CONSENT: volunteered ➛ debrief

RISK TO VALUES & RELATIONSHIP ETC..: thought killed someone could affect them ➛ debrief (84% glad taken part)

Question 23

What are some issues with validity?

Answer 23

SOCIAL DESIRABILITY ➛ Yale, interviews, volunteer bias

RESEARCHER BIAS ➛ Non ppt observations

DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS ➛ Sample shock, deception, aware of research

Question 24

What is internal validity?

Answer 24

Whether it is a genuine measure of behaviour

Question 25

Advantages and disadvantages to the internal validity in the study?

Answer 25

\+paid at start
\+deception
\+sample shock
\+non ppt observation
- social desirability

Question 26

What is external validity?

Answer 26

Degree it can be generalised both ecological and population validity

Question 27

Issues with internal validity

Answer 27

Cultural bias
Self selected
Artificial setting
Didn’t recreate pressures

Question 28

Ways of assessing validity

Answer 28

CONCURRENT: test with already valid test

CONSTRUCT: theory to test legitimacy

CONTENT: independent expert checks content

PREDICTIVE: compare findings with predictions

FACE: what is set out to measure

Question 29

What is internal reliability and how was it dealt with?

Answer 29

Consistency inside the study

Controlled procedure
Standardised procedures & promps

Question 30

What is external reliability and how is is dealt with?

Answer 30

Consistency outside the study

Is it replicable?