Obedience: Milgram's Research

Question 1

Procedure

Answer 1

Naïve male volunteers gave shocks fake to a learner (confederate Mr Wallace)

An experimenter ordered participants to continue giving shocks

Shock machine started at 15 volts went up in 15 V steps to 450 V

Question 2

Findings and conclusions

Answer 2

All participants have at least 300 V, 65% gave 450V, all showed stress.

Prior to the study, survey of 14 students predicted 3% would give 450V

Participants debriefed 84% felt glad to have participated.

Question 3

Lacks internal validity

Answer 3

Participants guessed shocks fake (Orne and Holland)

Question 4

High external validity

Answer 4

Processes in lab same as outside (Holfing et al.)

Nurses on hospital ward 21/22 obeyed unjustified demands

Question 5

Support from replications

Answer 5

French reality TV show, 80% went to 450V

Question 6

SIT is alternative theory

Social identity theory- key to obedience lies in group identification

Answer 6

Participants gave shocks because identified with the experimenter (Haslam and Reicher)

First three prods appeal for help with the science

The fourth demands obedience. Didn’t identify anymore with the experimenter and science, so stopped

Question 7

Ethical issues

Answer 7

Deception betrays trust in research (Baumrind)