Milgram - Behavioural study of obedience

Question 0

Aim

Answer 0

To prove the theory that ‘germans are different’

Milgram aimed to create a situation that allowed him to measure obedience even when the command requires constructive behaviour

Question 1

Context

Answer 1

Adolf Eichmann - reported that his unti haqd killed around 4 million jews in death camos and had killed around 2 million by mobile units.

Hannah Arendt - “It would have been comforting to know that Eichmann was a monster however him and many others were perfectly normal”

It was believed that Germans had an authoritarian personality.

Authoritarian personality - Individuals who are typically hostile to those of lower status but are servile to those of higher status.

Question 2

Procedures

Answer 2

40 male volunteers different education and jobs

Teacher (naive), learner (confederate), experimenter

Told it was a learning experiment

Learner recieves progessively stornger shocks from teacher for wrong answers.

At 300 volts, learner banged on wall, no further comments

Experimenter urges the teacher to continue

Question 3

Findings

Answer 3

Students predicted 3% would fully obey

12.5% stopped at 300 volts

65% fully obeyed

Many showed signs of extreme stress

84% said they were glad they had taken place

Question 4

Conclusions

Answer 4

The circumstances in which people find themselves prove it less or more difficult to disobey.

1. Location
2. Worthy purpose
3. Voluntary consent
4. Felt under obligation
5. The two demands are not equally pressing and legitimate

Question 5

Methodology

Answer 5

Method - Lab style study

Validity - Others claimed that the participants didn’t really believe the shocks were real and they were just diaplaying demand charicteristics
The study also lacks ecological validity
Gender bias

Sampling - Volunteer sample
Gets people of varying background
Only get’s people interested in the experiment, makes them more likely to display demand charicteristics

Ethics - Claims that psychological damaged was caused. Witheld information from the participants

Question 6

Alternate evidence

Answer 6

Sheridan and King - Used a puppy instead of a learner and the puppy was kept in the same room so the participant could see the effect of the shocks. Even so 75% of people delivered the maximum shock.

Hoffling - Rang 22 hospital nurses claiming to be “Dr Smith” asked them to administer a 22mg injection Astroten. This went against numerous hospital regulations such as taking orders from an unknown doctor and taking orders over the phone. As well as giving an injection of twice the allowance. Even so 95% of nurses gave the injection.

Milgram - performed 18 variations of his original test such as the professor giving orders over the phone and changing the location. In the majority of these tests he found that obedience dropped significantly.