Milgram's Study for Obedience Flashcards
Aim
To see if ordinary pps would follow orders/be obedient to an Experimenter to shock a confederate ‘Leaner’ for wrong answers that could harm or kill them
Procedures
1963: 40 American male volunteers assigned role of ‘Teacher ‘ in a fixed draw and told to shock ‘Learner in another room who would purposefully wrong answers in what they thought was a study about punishment + learning
- Pp had to give electric shocks in front of Experimenter from 15V to 450V labelled danger
- 65% of pps went to highest shocks
Conclusions
Ordinary people will follow orders from an authority figure to the extent of possibly killing someone
Variations were carried out to consider how situational variables may increase or decrease obedience
Proximity Variation
Learner and Teacher in the same room instead of separate ones - Obedience dropped to 40%
Why? - decreased proxinity allows us to psychologically distance themselves from consequences of their actions - now more aware of harm caused so less obedient
Location Variation
Study took place in rundown building instead of Yale University - obedience dropped to 47.5%
Why? - Prestigious university environment gave Milgram’s study legitimacy and authority so pps obeyed experimenter who shared this legitimacy
However => obedience still high in office block as pps perceive the scientific nature of the procedure
Uniform Variation
Instead of the Experimenter who would wear a white lab coat was replaced by a member of the member of the public w/o uniform –> obedience dropped to 20%
Why? - Uniforms encourage obedience as they are widely recognised symbols of authority so are entitled to obedience - not having uniform = less right to respect
Research Support for Situational Variables - AO3
STRENGHT
Bickman et al (1974) - field experiment w/ 3 confederates in different outfits - jacket + tie, milkman’s outfit and security uniform - told passers-by to perform tasks like picking up litter
Found - people were 2x as likely to obey ‘security guard’ - supports that situational variables like uniform has a powerful effect on obedience
COUNTERPOINT for cross-cultural replication - AO3
LIMITATION
Smith + Bond - replications aren’t very cross cultural as only identified replications between 1968-85 in non-Western countries - India + Jordan
- Other countries like Spain, Austrailia, Scotland etc, are that culturally different to the US
=> May not be appropriate to conclude Milgram’s findings including w/ variables apply to all/most cultures
Lacking External Validity - AO3
Rank + Jacobsen’s replication of Hofling’s study with a real drug (vallium) being instructed by a real doctor only resulted in 2/18 nurses
Suggests Milgram’s conclusions of obedience from a legitmate authority doesn’t always apply
Research Support for Obedience - Replications - AO3
French Documentary where naive pps had to shock a contestant on a ‘game show’ in front of live audience for wrong answers under instruction of ‘producer’
Anxious behaviour exhibited was identical in Milgram’s => suggests conclusions can be generalised
Further Research Support - Hofling- Found 18/20 nurses in a hospital tried to follow ordersof an unknown doctor to administer a fake drug
Alternative Interpretations - AO3
Haslam (2014) showed pps obeyed when experimenter gave prods - first 3 - but when 4th was given
=> ‘You have no choice, you must go on’ they all disobeyed
Concluded behaviour was not from blind obedience but from SIT as they identified w/ scientific aims of study - stopped when told to
Suggests this is better interpretation of findings of study which Milgram himself has suggested as an explanation
Lacks Internal Validity
LIMITATION - Orne and Holland argue the pps were following orders not cause it seemed authentic but just playing along
==> Variables were also very contrived like uniform variable so very likely pps saw through deception
Perry (2013) listened to the tapes and concluded only 1/2 believed and 2/3 disobeyed
Thus => pps were just responding to demand characteristics
COUNTERPOINT to Lack of Internal Validity
Sheirdan + King (1972) - found that 54% of male and 100% of female students shocked apuppy despite the sounds of distress from the animal
Suggests effects of Milgram’s study are geniune as people behaved obediently despte knowingly causing harm
Being Andocentric - AO3
LIMITATION - only male pps were used and there is evidence in Sheirdan + King’s study that females, at least in 1972, being more obedient
Thus, study lacks generalibility
Unethical - AO3
Mandel (1998) - Conclusion of blind obedience can provide an alibi for atrocity such as the Holocaust due to soldiers ‘following orders’ - offensive to survivors
- Also ignores role of dispositional factors implying Nazis were victims of situational factors beyond control
- Baumrind (1964) states betrayal of trust from deceiving pps damages psychologists reputation
=> pps were made stressed by decision -
