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
