Milgram’s Research Flashcards
1
Q
What is obedience?
A
- Result of social influence where somebody acts in a response to a direct order from an authority figure.
2
Q
Milgram’s Aim
A
- To find out whether ordinary Americans obey an unjust order from a person in authority to inflict pain on another person.
- To discover what factors cause people to obey.
3
Q
Milgram’s procedure
A
- 40 male volunteers, paid $4.50.
- Deceived into thinking they were giving electric shocks.
- Participants told the study concerned the role of punishment in learning.
- Genuine participant always had the teacher’s role and confederate played the part of the learner whose task was to memorise pairs of words.
- When tested the learner would indicate his choice using a system of lights.
- Teachers role was to administer a shock every time the learner made a mistake.
- Teacher sat in front of the shock generator that had 30 levers which indicated the level of shock to be given.
- Participant watched the stooge being strapped into a chair in an adjoining room with electrodes attached to their arms.
- Every time a mistake was made by learner they would be given a shock.
-Shocks started at 15 volts and rose in 15 volt increments to 450 volts. - If teacher hesitated administering the shocks, the researcher encouraged him to continue.
- Only actual shock given was a 45v given to teacher to try convince him that shock were real. No real shocks given to learner.
- Experiment continued until teacher refused to continue or until 450 volts were reached 4 times.
4
Q
Milgram’s Findings
A
- All participants went to at least 300 volts on the shock generator.
- 65% of participant went to the end of the shock generator.
- Most participants found the procedure very stressful and wanted to stop, but it’s some showing signs of extreme anxiety.
- Although the disagreed verbally they continued to obey the researcher who prodded them to continue to give shocks.
- 84% were glad to have taken part.
- 2% we’re sorry to have taken part.
- 74% said they had learned something of personal importance.
5
Q
Milgram’s conclusion
A
- When people occupy a subordinate position on a dominance hierarchy they will become liable to lose feelings of empathy and are inclined towards blind obedience.
6
Q
Evaluation of Milgram’s study - Low ecological validity
A
- Lab based study.
- Claimed that because Milgram’s studies were lab experiments the behaviour was artificial and this increased the level of obedience.
- Baumrid suggested that it was not possible to generate these findings to real life because the study was carried out at Yale University.
- Weakness - Findings may only be applicable to lab research and not everyday life therefore lacking ecological validity.
7
Q
Evaluation of Milgram’s study - Supporting research
A
- Realistic field experiments have supported his findings.
- Hofling et al found that 95% of nurses would give a higher dose of an unfamiliar drug to a patient if ordered to do so by what they believed to be an authority figure even though they knew the dose was wrong.
- Strength - suggests that the processes of obedience can be generalised to other situations and how obedience operates in real life.
8
Q
Evaluation of Milgram’s Study - Ethical Issues
A
- Deception and lack of informed consent - Milgram deceived his participants by telling them they were involved in a study of the effect of punishment in learning which denies the participants the right to informed consent. Argues that the experiment would have been meaningless without some degree of deception.
- Right to withdraw - Right to withdraw was not clear. Milgram claimed that the participants knew they were free to leave at any time as demonstrated when some did leave.
- Protection from Psychological harm - Baumrid criticised the research saying that participants suffered considerable distress which was not justified given the aims of the research.
- Weakness - undermine credibility.
9
Q
Evaluation of Milgram’s research - Ethical considerations
A
- Milgram debriefed his participants to ensure that psychological heart was minimised and issues can be resolved.
- In a follow up study 84% of the participants indicated that they were glad to have taken part. 74% felt they had learned something extremely valuable about themselves.
- Strength - ensures psychological harm was minimised.
10
Q
Obedience - Situational Variables - Proximity
A
- In original study the teacher and learner were in adjoining rooms so the teacher could hear the learner but not see them:
- In variation the teacher and learner were in the same room. Obedience fell from 65% to 40%.
- In another variation where the teacher forced the learners hand on a shock plate, obedience fell to 30%.
- In another variation, experimenter left the room and gave instructions to teacher via phone. Obedience fell to 20.5%.
11
Q
Obedience - Situational Variables - Location
A
- In this variation, Milgram changed the location of the study. He used a run down building rather than the prestigious Yale university. Obedience fell to 47.5%.
12
Q
Obedience - Situational Variables - Uniform
A
- Milgram’s experimenter wore a lab coat which have him a high status.
- When the experimenter dressed in everyday clothes obedience was very low.
13
Q
Evaluation of Situational Variables for obedience - research support
A
- Evidence to support the impact that wearing uniform has on obedience.
- Bickman - investigated obedience on the streets of New York. Found when an experimenter dressed in a guards uniform gave an order to pedestrians there was 89% obedience compared to 33% when the experimenter was dressed more normal. A milkman’s uniform did not have the same effect with 57% obedience.
- Strength - supports Milgrams conclusion of a uniform conveys the authority of its wearer and is a situational factor that is likely to produce obedience.
14
Q
Evaluation of situational variables for obedience - control of variables
A
- High control over variables
- Systematically altered one variable at a time to see the effect on level of obedience. All other procedures and variables kept the same as the study was replicated with eventually more than 1,000 participants total.
- Strength - high internal validity. Can be confident that the IV was the cause of the change in the DV.
15
Q
Evaluation of situational variables of obedience - cross cultural replications
A
- Findings of Milgrams variations research has been replicated in other cultures.
- Miranda et al found a high obedience rate of over 90% amongst Spanish students.
- Strength - suggests that Milgrams conclusions about obedience are not limited to American males but are valid across cultures and apply to females too.
