Obedience To Authority Flashcards
What is meant by obedience to authority?
Obedience to authority is complying with an order from another person to carry out an action; the person giving the instruction is perceived to have power or authority to do so.
What historical example illustrates obedience to authority in the Nazi era?
A historical context is Nazi soldiers such as Adolf Eichmann, who was in charge of organising the deportation of Jewish people to ghettos and concentration camps. When tried for his crimes, his defence was that he was only following orders.
Where did Milgram’s key study on obedience take place and how many participants were involved?
Milgram’s study took place at Yale University with 40 male participants aged 20 – 50.
What was the aim of Milgram’s study?
The aim was to test whether ordinary people would obey an authority figure when told to harm innocent people.
In Milgram’s set‑up, who were the “teachers” and who were the “learners”?
The participants were the teachers, while the confederates were the learners.
What task did the teachers perform, and how were errors punished?
Teachers tested the learner’s ability on word pairs; if the learner answered correctly, they moved on, but if wrong, the teacher was to administer an electric shock.
What was the range of shocks on the generator used in Milgram’s experiment?
The shock generator ranged from 15 volts to 450 volts.
How were the learner’s responses managed during the experiment?
The learner’s answers and reactions were prerecorded, and the learner was hidden from the teacher.
What role did the experimenter play during Milgram’s study?
The experimenter prodded the teachers to continue shocking the learner and to reach the highest shock level, using prompts such as “It’s essential that you continue… please continue.”
What percentage of participants in Milgram’s study administered the maximum 450‑volt shock?
65 % of the participants administered the full 450 volts.
What percentage of participants reached at least 300 volts?
100 % of participants reached 300 volts.
