Milgram - Social

Question 1

Sample?

Answer 1

40 males aged 20-50
From New Haven.
Lower/middle class.

Question 2

Sampling method?

Answer 2

Self selected sampling. Researchers put an ad in a newspaper and sent direct mail.

Question 3

How many shocks could possibly be given?

Answer 3

30

Question 4

What did the voltage range between?

Answer 4

15-450

Question 5

What prods did the experimenter use?

Answer 5

1) “please continue / please go on”
2) “the experiment requires that you continue”
3) “it is absolutely essential that you continue”
4) “you have no other choice, you must go on”

Question 6

How did the experiment seem professional to the participant?

Answer 6

• Conducted on the grounds of Yale university

* The experimenter wore a lab coat

Question 7

Results

Answer 7

No participants stopped before 300 volts.

26 obeyed to go up to 450.

Question 8

What signs of discomfort did participants show?

Answer 8

Sweat
Tremble
Stutter
Bite their lip
Groan
Dig fingernails

Nervous laughter
Smiling
Seizures

Comments by defiant participants at the point of them ceasing to continue with the shocks.

Question 9

How much were the participants paid to take part in the study?

Answer 9

$4.50

Question 10

What was the DV?

Answer 10

Whether participants were obedient or disobedient

Question 11

What data did this study produce?

Answer 11

Quantitative data in the form of the percentages of participants who gave shocks.

Qualitative data in the form of describing how the participants behaved when uncomfortable.

Question 12

Strengths

Answer 12

• High face validity due to ‘measuring what he wanted to measure’
• Very reliable due to the standardised procedure
• Participants were debriefed at the end of the study.
• the sample was similar to those involved with the Nazis.
• it is very useful as it shows that people are likely to obey obscene orders when in the presence of an authority figure.
• 84% of participants said they were glad to have taken part with the study

Question 13

Weaknesses

Answer 13

• Low ecological validity as it is not an everyday occurrence. Also it was not very similar to nazi Germany as the participants didnt have the dear that something bad could happen to them or their family if they didn’t obey.
• It is ethnocentric because it was only carried out in one country, however it can be used to show that this ‘evil’ behaviour can be present in more than one country.
• Although they consented to take part in a study, they were deceived about the true nature of said study.

Question 14

How does this study link to the social area?

Answer 14

It reveals the extent to which peoples behaviour can be influenced by other people

However, it can be linked to the individual differences area as the same situation would not affect everyone in the same way.

Question 15

Which debates does this study link to?

Answer 15

Individual/situational : …

Free will/determinism : …

Question 16

How does this link to the key theme of ‘responses to people in authority’

Answer 16

It shows that obedience to people in authority is much more common than we believe.

…But would this be the same case for people from a different country? People of a different gender?…