Milgram

Question 1

What was the aim?

Answer 1

Investigate what level of obedience participants would go to when asked to deliver electric shocks to someone by an authority figure

Question 2

Type of study

Answer 2

Behavioural study of obedience, social study

Question 3

Key theme

Answer 3

Responses to people in authority

Question 4

Background

Answer 4

At the time of the study innocent people were getting killed in Nazi Germany. Milgram wanted to see if it people commanded because of an authroirty figure

Question 5

Sampling method and Sample

Answer 5

Self-selecting, voluntary, advertised in a newspaper.

40 males, wide occupations, from Newhaven aged between 20 and 50

Question 6

Procedure

Answer 6

Participants were given the roll of the “teacher” and were administered a 45 volt shock.
Participant read to the “learner” word-pairs and asked them to identify the correct answer.
If the “learner” got it wrong they would get an electric shock. Increasing by 15 each time.
If the “teacher”/participant expressed discomfort the experimenter would reply with a prod.
Experiment ended when either 450 v reached of the participant withdrew.
Participants were debriefed.

Question 7

Give a prod

Answer 7

“Please continue”

Question 8

Controls

Answer 8

All paid $4.50
All at Yale University
Conducted by the same person
Teachers received a shock of 45volts

Question 9

Findings

Answer 9

100% went to 300 volts
65% went to 450 volts
Participants showed signs of acute stress- trembling stuttering, seizures.

Question 10

Conclusion

Answer 10

This situation generates extraordinary tension and emotional strain
Situation produced strong tendencies to obey.

Question 11

Explanation of findings- High levels of obedience.

Answer 11

1. Conducted in Yale (high reputation).
2. Participant volunteered so may feel obliged to continue.
3. From the participants view they could have been the learner so were lucky to have got the teacher. Felt that they couldn’t complain.
4. Reassured shocks weren’t harmful.
5. Participant believes the learner volunteered to be part of the experiment too.

Question 12

Ethics

Answer 12

Broke:
Tried to stop people from leaving
Deception
Didn’t completely protect them from harm.

Kept:
People gave consent
Debrief
Confidential

Question 13

Ethnocentrism

Answer 13

Can be seen as ethnocentric because only carried out in the USA.
However could argue that anyone in this situation would obey despite culture

Question 14

Reliability

Answer 14

Internal- Standardised and replicable?
Easily replicable- lab experiment

External- sample large enough for consistent result?
Was argued to be large enough with 65% getting the same result

Question 15

Validity

Answer 15

Internal- Was it measuring what it was supposed to measure?
Can be argued that it could be measuring level of obedience and empathy/moral courage.

External Population- Can the sample be generalised?
Sample was only men and not females.

External Ecological- True to life?
No it wasn’t