Obedience - Milgram’s Shock Study

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

To see how far people would go to obey an authority figure.

Question 2

Procedure

Answer 2

• 40 white, American, volunteers were told experiment was on teaching and learning (done at Yale uni - high status)
• ppt and a confederate (mr Wallace) draw straws to assign roles but Participant is always assigned the role of “teacher” and confederate is always assigned role of “learner”, although participant doesn’t know that this is predetermined.
  -Mr Williams is the experimenter who oversees the study and wears a white lab coat to signify authority.
  -Participant is given a 45v shock before to make the think the machine is real (it is not), the machine.
  -Confederate is hooked onto machine and complains about weak heart. Teacher asks the learner a series of questions and shocks them when the answer is wrong (increasing it each time, starting at 15v) and learner screams in protest throughout.
  -Probes are given by mr Williams if Participant shows any signs of refusal e.g the experiment requires you to continue.

Question 3

White lab coat

Answer 3

Signifies authority as science is an elite subject

Question 4

Probes

Answer 4

Used if the participant refuses to continue “You must go on” “the experiment requires you to continue”

Question 5

Results

Answer 5

100% went to 300v, 65% went to 450v

Question 6

Conclusion

Answer 6

Participants will obey a legitimate authority figure

Question 7

+ french tv show

Answer 7

A french tv show did a similar thing where they paid ppts to give electric shocks to people (fake) Instructed by tv host (authority figure) and they did it, whilst showing signs of anxiety (like milgram’s study)

Question 8

+ hofling (nurses)

Answer 8

• nurses were told to give a high dosage of an unknown drug to a patient by “on call doctor” (authority figure).
• 21/22 obeyed - proves Milgram

Question 9

• rank and Jacobson

Answer 9

• nurses were told to give a high/lethal dosage of Valium to patients by doctors.
• only 2/18 obeyed.

Question 10

• bias (ao3)

Answer 10

Gender: only done on males so can’t be generalised
Cultural: only done on American’s so can’t be generalised

Question 11

• ethical issues (ao3)

Answer 11

• deception: multiple accounts as participants weren’t told true aim of study, fixed roles, fake screams from learner (recording).
• lack of protection from harm as all ppts showed signs of anxiety e.g sweating, nervous laughter and some even had panic induced seizures.
• right to withdraw: wasn’t really there due to Mr william’s use of probes

Question 12

• demand characteristics (ao3)

Answer 12

It was suggested that the ppts guessed that the electric shocks were fake so we’re just play acting.