Milgram’s Research Flashcards
What is obedience?
Social influence in which an individual follows a direct order
What was Milgram’s aim of his experiment?
To see whether the holocaust was due to Dispositional or situational factors - test “Germans are different” hypothesis
Investigate level of obedience people would show when an authority figure told them to electrocute a fellow human being
How did Milgram get his participants?
VOLUNTEER SAMPLING METHOD - sent advert for male participants at Yale University
Who were the participants in Milgram’s research and what were they told?
40 male participants that weren’t NOT students
Paid $4 an hour
Told study was based on memory and learning
What was the procedure in Milgram’s experiment?
- Rigged confederate to be a “learner” - pp thought it was random
- Pp saw “Mr Wallace” strapped to a chair with electrodes - said he had heart condition
- Researcher + teacher went to another room with a shock generator
- Participants told to read pairs of words that the leaner had to remember and would be shocked for incorrect answer / stalling - increased by 15 volts each time
What did the shock generator say on it?
15 volts - slight shock
300 volts - severe shock
450 volts - xxx
What noises did the “learner” make?
180 volts - can’t stand the pain
300 volts - begged for release
315 volts - silence
What happened if a participant implied they didn’t want to/whether they should continue?
Standardised “prods” were given as a response by the researcher
What were the 4 prods?
1 - please continue
2 - experiment requires you continue
3 - absolutely essential that you must continue
4 - no other choice, you must go on
How were the prods used?
Prods were given in sequence if participants continued to disobey
How would the experiment have been terminated?
If the participant continued to disobey after prod 4
How did Milgram do his best to make sure the experiment was the same for everyone?
Same responses by the learner heard by the teacher
Standardised prods were given
What were the results of Milgram’s experiment?
All participants shocked up to 300 volts
65% shocked to 450 volts (14 defied)
What reactions did the participants have during Milgram’s experiment?
Sweating
Trembling
Stuttering
Biting lips
Nervous laughter - quite common
…
How did Milgram make sure his participants were ok after the experiment?
They were debriefed at the end of the study - assured behaviour was normal
All sent a follow up questionnaire - 84% glad to have participated
Participants interviewed a year later and judged to have sustained no psychological harm
What was the conclusion of Milgram’s experiment?
Normal people will obey authority even if their actions are detrimental
Hypothesis that “Germans are different” (Dispositional) not supported
What were the strengths of Milgram’s experiment?
Good external validity
Research support - Hofling (1966)
Supporting Replication - Le Jeu De La Mort (2010)
How did Milgram’s experiment have good external validity?
Milgram argued that it reflected real life authority
Said that the experiment still showed the relationship between authority figure and participant
How did Milgram’s experiment have research support?
Hofling et al study in 1996
What was Hofling’s study?
22 nurses called by Dr Smith
Told to administer 20mg of astrofen (max dose was 10mg - said on packet)
21/22 nurses complied
How was Hofling’s experiment deemed invalid?
Rank and Jonson said:
Astrofen wasn’t well known at the time
Nurses didn’t have opportunity to see higher-ups
(Both usually happens in hospitals)
How did Rank and Jacobson prove Hofling’s experiment was invalid?
They replicated it but told the nurses to administer 3x the recommended dosage of Valium
Only 2/18 nurses prepared it
What was Le Je De La Mort?
A replication of Milgram’s experiment, disguised as a new game show
How did “Le Jeu De La Mort” show Milgram’s results weren’t one off?
Participants were paid to give fake electric shocks to confederates (didn’t know)
80% participants shocked up to 460 volts
Behaviour identical to Milgram’s study - nervous laughter and anxiety
