Social Area Flashcards
What are some strengths of social area
- helps improve understanding of human behaviour particularly extent to which it’s affected by other people
- useful by having practical applications in range of settings
- bring psychology to wider audiences as it seeks to explain real world events
- high ecological validity as it makes use of field experiments
What are some weaknesses of the social area
- May not be true for all the time as social situations change over time
- not true for all places as social situations change culture to culture
- socially sensitive nature of research so can be hard to stay in guidelines
- boundaries between social and cognitive blurred due to social cognition
What year was milgrams study
1963
Sample of milgram
40 males
Aged 20 - 50
From New Haven and surrounding area
How was milgram sample obtained
Newspaper advertisement and direct mailing, offering $4.50 for participation in memory and learning study
Told money was theirs for turning up to lab and keep no matter what happened after they arrived
Where was milgrams study conducted
Yale University
What was procedure of experiment milgram
- experimenter told leaner and participant purpose of study was to find out effect of punishment on learning
- participant and victim drew out hat, determined who was teacher or leaner, draw rigged participant always teacher
- taken to adjacent rooms, leaner strapped to ‘electric chair’ electrode connected to learner wrist
- experimenter declared shocks painful but no permanent damage
- word pair task, learner had to indicate correct word by pressing button
- before beginning task, teacher given sample shock of 45 volts
- teacher instructed to administer shock each wrong answer given, told to move up one level higher on shock generator each time
- when 300v shock administered leaner kicked wall
- after that not answers given to word pair task
- teacher told to wait 5-10 secs before treating no response as wrong
- 315V leaner kick wall again
- after 315V no response no wall kick
What were the responses of experimenter to participants who indicated unwillingness to go on im milgram study
Please continue Experiment require you carry on Absolutely essential that you continue You have no other choice, you must go on If asked if leaner get damage, experimenter said shocks painful but no permanent damage
What was the point of sample shock in milgram study
To convince participant that generator was authentic
What was the dependent measures of milgram stjdy
Anyone who broke off at any point prior to administering 13th shock deemed defiant
What happened after milgrams study o
Interview, and recoiliation arranged between participant and victim to reduce any tensions and to ensure participant leaves in state of well being
What were the predicted results of milgrams
14 Yale uni psychology students predicted a mean of 1.2% would go to end of study when presented with the detailed description of study
What were milgram actual results
All participants went up to 300V
26 obeyed until 450V max
Signs of stress such as sweat, stutter, nervous smiling
3 experienced uncontrollable seizures
Some comments were “this isn’t right”, “I don’t think this is very humane”
What are milgrams conclusions
To the situation he created
This is situation that produces extremely strong tendencies to obey
Situation generates extraordinary tension and emotional strain
What did the experimenter wear
Grey Lab coat
Remained stern throughout
What were some of the suggestions by milgram to explain th eobedience
Yale university-has unimpeachable reputation so trust it
Participant believed victim volunteered also
Being paid strengthened obligation to help experimenter
Participants had been reassured shocks not harmful
What were the suggestions that explained tension experienced by participants
Participant put in position to respond to competing demands when neither could both be met
Demands of victim and experimenter very different
Experiment gave little time for reflection
Participant experienced conflict between not to harm others and tendency to obey legitimate authorities
What did the shock generator look like
30 switches set in horizontal line
Ranged from 15V to 450
Verbal designations such as slight shock, very strong shock, danger:severe shock
Last two switches labelled with XXX
Discuss ethics of milgram
Participants consented however it wasn’t informed consent
Deceived on true purpose of study
Could withdraw shown by those who did, however experimenter words discouraged it
Confidentiality upheld except for in original research where it stated “46 year old encyclopaedia salesman”
Were harmed -3 had seizures
Participants were debriefed and year later given questionnaire 85% said glad took part
Discuss milgrams validity
Face validity-high as appears to measure what he wants to however explanation of obedience too simplistic as behaviour make reflect empathy and moral courage
Ecological-low as not everyday occurrence to be instructed to administer shocks, however similar to nazi as explicits instructions and causing har to innocents
Discuss reliability of milgram
Procedure highly replicable as standardised procedure
Way results recorded (noting the highest switch pressed before refusing to carry on)means anyone would get same results
Large enough sample for consistent results without being unmanageable and expensive
What milgram study ethnocentric
Only carried out in one country so cannot assume levels of a Edwin Edwards seen among Americans would reflect obedience of other cultures
Further replications in subsequent years and found similarly high levels of obedience in most countries eg Italy, therefore milgrams findings not true to America alone
Why does milgram relate to individual situational
- Descriptions of participants showed they were uncomfortable with what they were doing however 65% still prepared to go up to max shows power of situation
- 35% refused to carry on proves personalities can be even greater influence on behaviour than situational pressures
Why does milgram relate to freewill determinism debate
65% went up to 450 can be seen as behaviour determined by situation
35% walked away seen as exercising their freewill and choosing how to act
Is milgrams study useful
Yes-people in positions of authority can expect that people subordinate to them to be obedient eg army
May be used and abused by people who want power
Why does milgram link to social area
Reveals extent to which people’s behaviour can be influenced by other people around them
Why does milgram relate to key theme of response to people in authority
Tells us that obedience to those in authority even when they ask us to harm someone is more common than we would like to believe
What was Bocchiaros procedure
- Participants informed they could withdraw at any time and given consent form and told they’d be kept confidential
- Dutch male experimenter greeted each participant and asked participants to provide names of fellow students and given cover story
- after 7 mins experimenter returned and I tend particpant to follow into first room
- participants completed two personality inventories (HEXACO and SVO)
- participants probed for suspiciousness about nature of study
- after participants given full debrief who’d been trained to use simple language, care was taken to make sure they didn’t feel uncomfortable about their performance and how they’d been deceived, told not to discuss with friends or family, given email address to complain to or ask further questions
What did participants in bocchiaros study do
Had to write a letter indicating to the named friends convincing them to take part a sensory deprivation study, told to include the words incredible, great, superb and not to mention the negative effects,
They could choose to whistleblow also
What was the sample of bocchiiaros study
149 undergrads from VU university Amsterdam, 96 women, 53 men, mean age of 20.8 originally sample of 160 but 11 removed due to suspicions
What were researchers interested in bocchiaro
Difference in personal characteristics that differentiate those who whistle blow from those who obey
What was HEXACO-PI-R
Measures 6 dimensions of personality
- honesty/humility
- emotionality
- extroversion
- agreeableness
- conscientiousness
- openness
What’s the SVO
Nine item decomposed games measure
Based on choices, participants classified as pro ortientstion or individualistic orientation or competitive orientation
What were the predicted results of bocchiaro
138 students asked to imagine being in the research and asked what would you do
when asked what would you do, predicted 3.6 obedient, 31.9 disobedient and 64.5 whistle blower
What were the actual results of bocchiaro
Obedient 76.5%
Disobedient 14.1%
Whistle blower 9.4%
Where there any differences between personality and whistleblowers
No significant differences in personality traits except whistle blowers have more faith