Obedience

Question 1

What is obedience?

Answer 1

The change of an individual’s behaviour to comply with a demand by an authority figure.

Question 2

Why do individuals often comply?

Answer 2

They are concerned about a consequence if they do not comply.

Question 3

What inspired Milgram’s experiment?

Answer 3

• The trial of a Nazi war criminal called Adolf Eichmann.
• Eichmann’s defence was that he was “just following orders” and Milgram wanted to test the validity of this defence.

Question 4

What was the method in Milgram (1963)?

Answer 4

• Recruited 40 male volunteers who believed they were participating in a study to improve learning and memory.
• The participants were shown how to use a device they were told delivered electric shocks of different intensities to the learners.
• They were told to shock the learners if they gave a wrong answer, as it would help them to learn.
• Shocks increased by 15 volts and went up to 450 volts.
• The participants were unaware that the learners were confederates who did not recieve the shocks.

Question 5

What were the results of Milgram (1963)?

Answer 5

• The participants obediently and repeatedly shocked the learner when a string of incorrect answers were given.
• The learners cried out for help, begged the participants to stop and complained of heart trouble.
• However, when the researcher told the participants to continute 65% of them continued to the maximum voltage.

Question 6

How was Milgram’s experiment varied and what were the results?

Answer 6

• When the setting of the experiment moved to an office building, the highest shock rate dropped to 48%.
• When the learner was in the same room as the participant, the highest shock rate dropped to 40%.
• When the learners’ and participants’ hands were touching, the highest shock rate dropped to 30%.
• When the researcher gave orders by phone, the highest shock rate dropped to 23%.

Question 7

What did the variations of Milgram’s experiment reveal about the relationship with humanity and authority?

Answer 7

• When the humanity if the person being shocked was increased obedience decreased.
• When the authority of the experimenter decreased so did obedience.