Milgram's Study of Obedience Flashcards

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1
Q

Obedience is…

A

… obeying direct orders from someone in authority.

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2
Q

Conforming is…

A

… obeying orders unwillingly.

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3
Q

Compliance is…

A

… willingly obeying an order but not necessarily agreeing with it.

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4
Q

Internalising is…

A

… obeying whilst agreeing to do so.

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5
Q

What was the aim of Milgram’s study?

A

To see if the Nazis were ‘different’ from other people, and to see whether or not ‘ordinary people’ would do likewise.

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6
Q

Participants thought that the study was about…

A

… the effect of punishment on learning.

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7
Q

What were the participants told about the shocks?

A

That they were painful but wouldn’t permanently damage tissue.

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8
Q

When did the learner begin reacting to the shocks?

A

At 300 volts.

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9
Q

How many participants were in the basic study?

A

40

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10
Q

How many participants gave shocks until the end?

A

26

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11
Q

All participants obeyed up to?

A

300 volts

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12
Q

How did participants react during the experiment?

A
  • nervousness & nervous laughter
  • sweating
  • trembling
  • digging nails into flesh
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13
Q

What were the 2 main conclusions of the study?

A
  • social influence is strong

- people obey orders even if it causes them distress

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14
Q

How did setting affect the results of Milgram’s basic study?

A
  • Yale University is a prestigious institute

- wouldn’t allow anything unethical

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15
Q

How did the aim of the study affect the results of Milgram’s basic study?

A

It had a worthy cause.

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16
Q

How did the participants, as volunteers, affect the results of Milgram’s basic study?

A

Because they volunteered, they had made a commitment.

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17
Q

How did the participants being paid affect the results of Milgram’s basic study?

A

They felt an obligation due to being paid.

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18
Q

How was the procedure of Milgram’s study well-controlled?

A
  • set verbal prompts in a set order
  • victim’s responses carefully prepared
  • experiments of participants the same, so no bias
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19
Q

How is lack of bias a strength?

A

Lack of bias meant that the conclusions were firm, so cause & effect conclusions could be drawn.

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20
Q

How did a well-controlled procedure strengthen the study?

A

Study was replicable so it could be tested for reliability.

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21
Q

How was Milgram’s study unethical?

A

It caused distress & discomfort for participants.

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22
Q

Ethical issues made Milgram’s study…

A

… hard to replicate.

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23
Q

Verbal prompts pressurised the participants not to leave, which is against…

A

… the ethical principle of respect.

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24
Q

What gave the study a lack of ecological validity?

A

It was at a university, so the setting wasn’t realistic/ natural.

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25
Q

What was the aim of the variations?

A

To investigate what may have affected the participants in the basic study.

26
Q

Experiment 10 (variation)?

A

Study took place in an office block.

27
Q

What was the aim of experiment 10 (variation in setting)?

A

To see if obedience was affected by the setting (University of Yale).

28
Q

Milgram kept everything else in his variations the same, to…

A

… make comparisons and conclusions.

29
Q

Experiment 7 (variation)?

A

Experimenter was in touch by phone.

30
Q

What was the aim of experiment 7?

A

To see if obedience was affected by the experimenter being present in the room.

31
Q

In which experiment was obedience the greatest?

A

In the basic study.

32
Q

Which variation had the least effect on obedience?

A

Setting

33
Q

What had the most effect on obedience?

A

Commands being given by the experimenter.

34
Q

What were the main features of experiment 7?

A
  • telephonic instructions
  • closeness of authority
  • experimenter absent
35
Q

What was the result of experiment 7?

A

Obedience dropped sharply.

Only 9 participants obeyed.

36
Q

When the authority figure isn’t face-to-face, dissent is?

A

Easier

37
Q

Why is having the same procedure a strength?

A

It helps with making comparisons, and cause-effect conclusions.

38
Q

The hypothesis that the physical presence of an authority figure effects obedience is…

A

… strengthened.

39
Q

What were the main features of experiment 10?

A
  • rundown office block

- institutional context

40
Q

Aims of experiment 10?

A

Would the power of the institution affect results?

Would obedience drop if the setting wasn’t so prestigious?

41
Q

People regard Yale with awe & respect, so…

A

… they were confident that the study was done with integrity & competence, due to the setting & context.

42
Q

Where was the study moved?

A

To Bridgeport, an industrial city near Yale.

43
Q

Evidence that participants in experiment 10 had more doubts?

A
  • one made notes

- one questioned his own judgement & thought the study was ‘heartless’

44
Q

Results of experiment 10?

A
  • lower level of obedience
  • 47.5% (compared to the original 65%)

(Milgram didn’t regard this drop as significant).

45
Q

How did the use of an office block strengthen experiment 10?

A

It gave it validity, as the study took place in the real world.
It was more realistic than a prestigious institute.

46
Q

How are the results of experiment 10 a weakness?

A

As obedience didn’t fall much, validity may be questioned.

47
Q

Experiment 10 is still weak as it still took place in a laboratory, so it may still have been seen by the participants as…

A

… a scientific experiment, thus obedience would be higher.

48
Q

Obedience is more likely if the setting is?

A

Scientific

49
Q

Obedience is less likely if the setting is?

A

Natural

50
Q

What was the variation of experiment 13?

A

An ordinary man gave orders, instead of an experimenter.

51
Q

What were the questions behind experiment 13?

A
  • would the presence of the authority figure have an effect on obedience?
  • is a command obeyed ‘just like that’, or only if it’s from an authority figure?
52
Q

What were the 2 different features of experiment 13?

A
  • experimenter gave initial instructions

- an ordinary man gave the commands

53
Q

In experiment 13, what happened when the experimenter left the room?

A

An accomplice already present suggests to the participant a way of doing the study.

54
Q

In experiment 13, the participant sees the orders as coming from?

A

An ordinary man

55
Q

In experiment 13, the basic situation was still?

A

Created by authority

56
Q

How many participants, out of 20, showed dissent in experiment 13?

A

16

57
Q

How many participants, out of 20, went to the maximum shock level?

A

4

58
Q

What was the variation in experiment 13a?

A

When the participant refused the ordinary man’s orders, he said they could swap roles - the participant would record the shocks given, and the accomplice would give the shocks.

59
Q

What were the reactions of the participants, in experiment 13a, as bystanders?

A
  • majority protested
  • some tried to disconnect the power from the generator
  • some tried to physically restrain the accomplice
60
Q

What reduced authority in experiment 13?

A

The fact that the participant thought the accomplice was another participant.

61
Q

Experiment 13 is still weak, as there is still a lot of authority present, due to:

A
  • scientific apparatus

- Yale