SI - Milgram's variations (AO3)

Question 1

If you got an essay on Milgram’s variations in the exam, how would you structure the A03 paragraphs?

Answer 1

Use 2 AO3s from his variations
Use 2 A03s from his original study

Question 2

What is a limitation of Milgram’s variations? - Might not have investigated all the situational factors affecting obedience

Answer 2

===> Research suggests culture is another. Kilham and Mann (1974) replicated Milgram’s experiment in Australia where only 16% went up to full 450V. Mantell (1971) found 85% obedience in Germany. Cross-cultural comparison shows different societies, different obedience levels, different hierarchical structure. Culture could play a more significant role in obedience than proximity, uniform etc.

Question 3

What is a strength of Milgram’s variations? - Real-life application (role of uniform)

Answer 3

===> Kelman and Hamilton (1989) suggest My Lai massacre of 1968, where US soldiers killed 500 inhabitants of a Vietnamese village claiming they were obeying Lieutenant William Calley’s orders, can be understood in terms of power hierarchy and the role of uniform. Act of mass murder demonstrates people will blindly follow orders from an individual of higher perceived authority (emphasises power of uniform)