Obedience: Milgram

Question 1

Who were the participants in milgrams study?

Answer 1

Recruited for ‘memory experiment’ through adverts

Question 2

How were participants allocated their role?

Answer 2

Through a rigged draw

Question 3

Who was involved in the actual experiment situation

Answer 3

Confederate in a lab coat as experimenter
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Participant as ‘teacher’

Question 4

Outline the experiment

Answer 4

• learner strapped into chair in other room and wired with electrodes
• teacher required to give increasing shock for wrong answers

Question 5

What was the top ‘shock level’

Answer 5

Danger- severe shock (450 volts)

Question 6

What happened at 300 volts (intense shock)

Answer 6

No further response to questions

Question 7

What did the experimenter say when there was no response?

Answer 7

An absence of response should be treated as a wrong answer

Question 8

What was the first and last verbal prods

Answer 8

1) please continue

4) you have no other choice, you must go on

Question 9

What were the quantitive findings?

Answer 9

No one stopped below 300 volts
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12.5% stopped at 300
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65% continued to 450 v

Question 10

What was the qualitative data that suggested extreme tension

Answer 10

Sweat
Bite lips and nails
Seizures

Question 11

What happened to participants after experiment

Answer 11

They were debriefed

Question 12

How might the study have low internal validity

Answer 12

Some may not have believed it was real shown by some tapes where participants expressed their doubts

Question 13

Support for experiments internal validity

Answer 13

Milgram reporter 70% believed was real

Question 14

How might the study have good external validity

Answer 14

Situation of authoritative figure accurate in real life
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Found nurses in hospitals obedient to unjustified demands

Question 15

What was the point of the variations carried out on the original study

Answer 15

Observe the effect of situational variables on obedience

Question 16

What several situational variables were studied

Answer 16

1) proximity
2) location
3) uniform

Question 17

What were the 3 proximity variables

Answer 17

Bring in same room at learner 
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Forcing of hand onto electric plate
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Remote instructions

Question 18

What was the baseline obedience level for the original study?

Answer 18

65%

Question 19

What did the obedience rate drop to for same room proximity variation

Answer 19

40%

Question 20

What did the obedience rate drop to for forcing of hand proximity variation

Answer 20

30%

Question 21

What did the obedience rate drop to for remote instruction proximity variation

Answer 21

20.5%

Question 22

What was changed in location variation

Answer 22

Study conducted in run-down building rather than prestigious Yale uni

Question 23

What did obedience fall to in the rundown building variation

Answer 23

47.5%

Question 24

What changed in the uniform study

Answer 24

Experimenter in a lab coat called away and replaced by plain clothed ‘member of public’ confederate

Question 25

What did conformity fall to in uniform variation

Answer 25

20%

Question 26

Outline felid experiment research support of uniform

Answer 26

Bickman et al (1974):
NYC
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3 confederates in different uniforms asked public to pick up litter or give coin for parking metre
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People were twice as likely to assist security guard than jacket and tie

Question 27

Explain cross cultural replications (both variations and original)

Answer 27

Found obedience rate of 90% in Spanish students
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Shows findings not limited to males
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Cannot entirely generalise as only western cultures