obedience: milgram Flashcards
Why did Milgram conduct this study?
Wanted to know why Germans obeyed Nazis
Were Germans more obedient?
What is obedience?
Individual follows direct order
What was Milgram’s sample?
40 males
Newspaper adverts
Offered money
How did the experiment work?
Confederate was learner
Pp was teacher
Experimented dressed in lab coat
Teacher shocked learner when a mistake was made
What were the shock levels in the study?
Started at 15
Rose to 450
At 300 the learner pounded on wall and was then silent
What were the experimenter’s prods?
Please continue
The experiment requires that you continue
It is absolutely essential that you continue
You have no other choice you must go on
What did Milgram find?
No pps stopped before 300 volts 12.5% stopped at 300 65% continued to 450 Participants showed signs of stress 84% said they felt glad to have participated
Were Milgram’s findings expected?
Milgram asked 14 psych students
Guessed no more than 3% would continue to 450
Evaluation - low internal validity
Orne and Holland - participants guessed shocks weren’t real
Milgram not testing what he said he would
Perry - listened to tapes, pps expressed doubt
Evaluation - good external validity
Reflects wider authority relationships in real life
Hofling - nurses on hospital ward obeyed demands from doctor
Can be generalised
Evaluation - supporting replication
French TV Game Of Death
Replication of Milgram’s study
80% gave max shock of 460 volts
Shows his findings weren’t one off
Evaluation - social identity theory
Key to obedience lies in group identification
Pps identified with experimenter and science
Obedience fell - pps identified with victim
First three prods target science
Last targets obedience - when used, pps always quit
Evaluation - ethical issues
Baumrind - critical of pps treatment
Roles were fixed
Deception could damage reputation of psychologists
