Milgram - Social Area Flashcards
What is the ‘All Germans are different hypothesis?
BACKGROUND
- Milgram believed Germans were much more obedient than people in other countries/cultures.
- Based upon the atrocities of WW2
Why did the pilot test surprise Milgram?
BACKGROUND
- Milgram did not expect Americans to show high lvl of obedience
Define an ‘Agentic state’ (3 BPs)
BACKGROUND
- A mindset that allows us to carry out orders from an authority figure even if they conflict with our personal sense of what’s right or wrong
- We absolve ourselves of responsibility
- Acting on somebody’s behalf, blame for any negative consequences lies with them
What did Milgram want to test? (2 BPs)
BACKGROUND
- Whether his hypothesis was true
- If it was due to situational or individual factors
What is obedience in terms of mechanisms?
THEORIES
Psychological mechanism
What does obedience link to?
THEORIES
- Obedience is the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose
What does authority do/to people? (2 BPs)
THEORIES
- It bind people to systems of authority
- It is an active or deliberate form of social influence
What did Milgram (1992) believe obedience involved?
THEORIES
- Obedience involves the ‘abdication of individual judgement in the face of some external social pressure
Does a person usually obey to authority figures? (2BPs)
THEORIES
- Yes, a person commanded by a legit authority figure usually obeys
- It is a ubiquitous and indispensable feautre of social life
What was the aim of Milgram’s study?
AIM
- Milgram’s study sought to investigate the process of obedience;
to demonstrate the power of legitimate authority
even when a command requires destructive behaviour
Why was this study called a controlled observation? (2 BPs)
RESEARCH METHOD
- There was no IV so it couldn’t be considered a lab experiment
- It was under highly controlled conditions (lab)
What was the experimental design that was used?
RESEARCH METHOD
Independent measures design
How was data gathered?
RESEARCH METHOD
- Through observations made by the experimenter and others who observed the process through one-way mirrors
How where the sessions set up to record data? (3 BPs)
RESEARCH METHOD
- Sessions recorded on magnetic tape
- Photos taken
- Notes taken on unusual behaviour
How many participants were in Milgram’s study?
SAMPLE
- 40 male participants
How was the sample androcentric? (2 BPs)
SAMPLE
- All of the participants were male
- Findings cannot be generalised to females
Did the participants have different jobs?
SAMPLE
They had various occupations and educational background
Who was the experimenter in the study? (2 BPs)
SAMPLE
- Biology teacher
- Dressed in a laboratory coat
Who was the learner in the study? (2 BPs)
SAMPLE
- 47-yr old accountant, Mr Wallace
- trained for the role
What is a confederate? (2 BPs)
- An actor who poses as a participants
- Their behaviour has been rehearsed prior to the experiment
Who were the confederates? (2 BPs)
SAMPLE
- Experimenter
- Accountant
Who were the confederates? (2 BPs)
SAMPLE
- Experimenter
- Accountant
Where was the study taken place? (2 BPs)
SAMPLE
- Prestigious university
- Yale University, New Haven area USA
What did participants believe the study was about? (2 BPS)
SAMPLE
- Memory
- Effects of punishment on learning
How much were participants paid for just arriving at the lab?
ST
$4.50
How did Milgram recruit participants? (2 BPs)
ST
- Newspaper advertisement
- Direct male solicitation
What sampling technique was used?
ST
Self-select sample
How many Yale seniors predicted participants results? + how many hypothetical subjects did they predict (2 BPs)
PROCEDURE
- 14 Yale Seniors
- Predicted 100 hypothetical subjects
How were the participants always given the teacher role?
PROCEDURE
Fixed lottery
What did the learner look like for the teacher to believe they were really administering them electric shocks?
PROCEDURE
Learner was strapped to the chair with (non-active) electrodes
What voltage was the participant given to simulate genuineness?
PROCEDURE
45v shock
How many switches did the electric shock machine have?
PROCEDURE
30 switches
What were the voltage increments and range of volts?
PROCEDURE
- 15v increments
- 15-450 volts (range)
What test did the teacher give to the learner?
PROCEDURE
Paired word test
What happened if the learner got a question wrong?
PROCEDURE
The teacher had to give the learner an electric shock of increasing intensity for every wrong answer
How did the learner produce their response? (2 BPs)
PROCEDURE
- Via a tape recording
- Produced a set of pre-determined responses
How many wrong answers to correct answers did the learner give?
PROCEDURE
Gave three wrong answers to every correct one
What happened to the learner at 300v?
PROCEDURE
- The learner pounded on the wall
- Didn’t respond again
What happened if the teacher looked at the experimenter for advice?
PROCEDURE
The experimenter responses with standardised, verbal prods
Give four examples of the verbal prods used
PROCEDURE
- Please continue or please go on
- The experiment requires that you continue
- It is absolutely essential that you continue
- You have no other choice, you must go on
How did the study end? (2 BPs)
PROCEDURE
- When the teacher refused to continue (disobeyed)
- When a participant reached 450v (obeyed)
What happened after the study ended? (2 BPs)
PROCEDURE
- Participants were debriefed
- Some were given psychological tests
How many participants (and percent) reached 450v? (2 BPs)
RESULTS
- 26 participants
- 65%
How many participants reached 300v? (2 BPs)
RESULTS
- 40 participants
- 100%
How many participants obeyed?
RESULTS
- 26
How many participants disobeyed?
RESULTS
14 defiant/disobeyed
Give 3 examples of how participants reacted whilst administering the shocks
RESULTS
- 3 had full-blown uncontrollable seizures
- sweating
- laughing nervously
Give three examples of how participants reacted after completing the study
RESULTS
- Heaved sighs of relief
- Mopped their brow
- Nervously fumbled cigarettes
How many explanations did Milgram give for the possible explanations for the high lvls of obedience
RESULTS
13
Give three explanations for obedience
RESULTS
- Prestigious setting - Yale Uni
- Told the shocks weren’t harmful
- Situation was new and they had no past experience to guide their behaviour
Give three conclusions from Milgram’s study
CONCLUSIONS
- Inhumane acts can be done by ordinary people
- People will obey others whom they consider legitimate authority figures even if what they are asked to do goes against their moral beliefs
- People obey because certain situational features lead them to suspend their sense of autonomy and become an agent of an authority figure
