Milgram (Obedience)^

Question 1

Obedience

Answer 1

a form of social influence in which an individual follows a direct order
- public, not private
- conscious

Question 2

Types of Hypothesis (obedience)

Answer 2

Dispositional
- obedience depends on their character
Situational
- obedience depends on situation

Question 3

Aim (Milgram)

Answer 3

to investigate how we respond to authority even if its against their own beliefs

Question 4

Procedure (Milgram)

Answer 4

• asked 14 p to predict results
  : said no more than 3% would go up to 450V
• all debriefed and assured beh is normal
• 40 USA men told they were experiment to improve memory
• teacher increase V with each wrong answer

Question 5

Results (Milgram)

Answer 5

• 1/3 ready to harms cause authority told them
• all went up to 300V, 5 stopped then
• 65% went to 450V highest
• qualitative data and observations
  : signs of tension: seizures
  : 84% said they were glad to participate

Question 6

Conclusion

Answer 6

decent American citizen were just as capable to commit acts like the Nazi

Question 7

Research Support

Answer 7

• findings were replicated
• documentory about a game show with same procedure and results
• 80% went to 450V
• findings not due to special circumstances

Question 8

Low Internal Validity

Answer 8

• M’s procedure may not have been testing his aim
• 75% of p thought the shocks were genuine

Question 9

Proximity

Answer 9

one room not adjoined
- 65% to 40%
touch pro. variation
- to 30%
remote instruction
- to 20.5%

Question 10

Location

Answer 10

• run down building
• obedience drop to 47.5%
• experimenter had less authority

Question 11

Uniform

Answer 11

• everyday clothes not grey lab coat
• called away because of an inconvenient call
• drop to 20%
• uniform is a symbol of authority

Question 12

Research Support

Answer 12

• other studies have demonstrated their influence
• Leonard Buckman
  : 3 confederates in outfits (guard, milkman, jacket and tie)
  : ask to do tasks
  : more likely to do it with the guard
• supports variables, uniform have a powerful effect

Question 13

Cross - Cultural Replications

Answer 13

findings were replicated in diff cultures

Meeus & Raaijmakers
- used more realistic procedure
- say stressfull things in a desperate job interview

• 90% obeyed
• replicated M’s proximity, person giving orders not around
• : obedience decreases a lot
• M’s findings were not limited to America or men

Question 14

VS Cross - Cultural Replications

Answer 14

• replications of M are not very cross culture
• Smith & Bond
  : two replication in India and Jordan
• other cultures too similar to USA
  : Spain, Australia, Scotland
• not appropriate to all people and cultures

Question 15

Low Internal Validity

Answer 15

• participants not aware the procedure was fake
• Orne & Holland
  : more likely in his variations because of extra manipulations
• experimenter replaced by a normal person
• unclear if findings were due to obedience or the p. saw through deception

Question 16

The Danger

Answer 16

• M’s findings support a situational expl. of obedience
• Criticised by Mandel
  : offers excuse for evil beh.offensive to Holocaust’s survival that the Nazi was only obeying orders
• M’s ignores the role of dispositional factors (personality)
  : imply Nazi were victims of situational factors