Milgram’s Study into Obedience - Social Influence

Question 1

Who was Stanley Milgram

Answer 1

• 1933–1984
• born in Bronx to Jewish parents
• inspired by: - events of WW2 and the holocaust & war events
  - 1961 trial of Adolf Eichmann - “I only follow the orders”

Question 2

When was the experiment

Answer 2

1963

Question 3

What was the aim

Answer 3

To investigate how far people would go in obeying an instruction if it involved harming another person

Question 4

What was the experiments procedures

Answer 4

• volunteers
  -men between ages of 20-50
• paid - £4 per hr

Question 5

Findings:

Answer 5

2/3 of ppts went to full level of shock
- as they were being told by a legitimate authority (man in white lab coat)

Question 6

Legitimate authority

Answer 6

Real power

Question 7

Proximity

Answer 7

• how close to the person being harmed
• how close to the person giving orders

Question 8

Uniform = …

Answer 8

Suggests at the legitimate authority

Question 9

What were the 4 prods used

Answer 9

1- please continue
2- the experiment requires you to continue
3- it is absolutely essential that you continue
4- you have no other choice but to continue

Question 10

Authoritarian personality…

Answer 10

More likely to to obey an authoritative figure(s) according to the theory

Question 11

Binding factors

Answer 11

These are aspects of the situation that allow the person to ignore or minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour and reduce the moral strain they are feeling

Question 12

STRENGTH PEEL

Answer 12

P- empirical evidence that responsibility did shift to the experimenter
E- Blass & Schmitt (2001) - showed students a film of Milgram’s study and asked them to decide who was responsible in the situation. Students thought it was the experimenter who was responsible - supports theory of the agentic state
E- students said the responsibility was due to legitimate authority
L- May increase the validity