Milgram's Research into Obedience Flashcards
What is obedience?
When someone acts in response to a direct order which is made by a perceived figure of authority.
What year did Milgram conduct his research?
1963.
What did Milgram aim to test?
The ‘Germans are different’ hypothesis - Germans are more likely to obey orders to harm others.
What was Milgram’s sample?
40 American male volunteers.
Where did Milgram do his study?
Yale University (a prestigious setting).
What did the participants think the study was about?
The effects of punishment on learning.
How were the participants tested?
Individually alongside a confederate (posing as another participant).
What role did the participant always play?
The ‘teacher’.
What was the teacher instructed to do?
To punish the learner by flicking switches on an electric shock generator for incorrect responses on a memory test (word-pairs).
Who was the teacher instructed by?
An authority figure (the researcher).
What did the shocks range from?
15V to 450V, increasing in increments of 15V.
What happened if the participants refused to continue?
The researcher would respond with direct orders (verbal prods) in an attempt to make the participant continue.
What did many of the participants show?
Signs of extreme tension; shaking, sweating, stuttering.
What was the obedience rate that Milgram found?
65%.
Why was the obedience rate unexpected?
Before the study began, he asked a range of people to predict how participants would behave and they predicted only 1 in 1’000 would continue to the maximum level of 450 volts.
What did Milgram conclude?
That Germans are not different and we are all capable of blind and ‘destructive’ obedience to unjust orders.
What are the 6 evaluation points for Milgram’s obedience research?
\+ Hofling et al (1996 - nurses obeying orders). \+ High degree of control. \+ Easy to replicate. - Lacks ecological validity. - May encourage demand characteristics. - Criticised for ethical issues.
