Milgrams Study Flashcards
Background
- Milgram was a Jew who’s family had fled Nazi persecution
- He was intrigued by Asch’s studies of conformity
- He was going to do the study in Germany but didn’t have to as American’s were very obedient.
Milgram’s Aims
- Wanted to explore scientifically the underlying psychological mechanisms behind destructive obedience
Procedure
- Study was advertised as a scientific research on learning and punishment at Yale - given $4.
- 1st study was 40 ps, second was almost 1000 with males and females.
-broad range of occupations and age - Ps go to lab and meet other p
- fake draw of sticks for who’s learner and teacher
- Ps given 45v sample shock
- read word pairs and test learners men, punish when incorrect
- shock increase 15v each time
- when ps reluctant experimenter uses script
Script for Ps
“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”
- criticised for ethics as ps are coerced
Dependent Measures
- Maximum voltage participants shocks to
- Verbal scripts
Observation of video footage - Debrief interview material
Findings
- pilot study with no oral feedback from learner, everyone shocked 450v
- 65% shocked to 450v with oral feedback
- No participants stopped before 300v
Variations of Milgrams study - findings
- when participants could choose their own level of shock they chose 50v = not evil on their own
- When 2 authority figures argued, no one continued
- When experiment was in run down office block, only 48% fully obedient
- Touch proximity (had to hold another person down) 30% full obedient
Cross cultural
Other countries found Similar results
Participant responses
- within 20 minutes a mature business man was stuttering and twitching.
- participants sweated, trembled, stuttered and even broke out in fits
- participants were interviewed after
Early explanations
- They said that Ps didn’t realise it was real but they all stated they did.
- Some people said it was a relic of time but it’s been replicated again in present time
A relic of it’s time
abc/Burger partial replication 2007
- 73% yield to experimenter orders, this was a mix of men and women who were educated and ethnically diverse
The Agentic Shift (Milgram, 1974)
- ordinary People;e become agents of terrible destructive processes
- mindful only of the sanctions from authority
- Obedience rewarded in society i.e. schools
- Casper et al 2016 - for extra info
Explanations
- At yale, study seemed reliable
- thought they were doing something goof for science
- displacement of responsibility (Berkowitz)
-Experimenter applies pressure
Wye (1971)
Nuclear Weapons Personnel
- Personal responsibility diffused
- No connection to targets
- Crew doesn’t fire they missiles, they enable the launch procedure
Criticisms Of Milgram
Baumrind,1964 - ethical problems, stress, self image, attitudes with trusting authority, no true informed consent, when wanting to quit encouraged not to.
Milgram 1964 said, only 1.3% had negative feelings about taking part, psychiatric assessment showed no harm caused, maybe a good thing to question authorities.
