Social Area: Milgram Evaluation Flashcards
Research Method
Strengths: - Could be described as an experiment as it had a dependent variable, e.g. participants were being counted as either obedient or disobedient, and controls, e.g. the same person played the experimenter each time.
- Highly standardised procedure, makes the study replicable and adds to its reliability.
Weaknesses: - Could not be described as an experiment as the original study did not have an independent variable.
Data
Strengths: - Collected quantitative data, e.g. the percentage of participants who travelled to 450 volts was 65%. This proved immensely valuable as it meant that he could make comparisons in areas of his study and replications of the study in other places and country.
- Collected qualitative data, consisting of his descriptions of how those in the role of ‘teacher’ behaved as they progressed up the electric shock generator, e.g. trembling, sweating ect. This benefited the study, as without the qualitative data, we wouldn’t know the feelings over the participants, and it provides the context of great emotional discomfort.
Ethics
Strengths: - Carried out before ethical guidelines were put in place.
- Participants consented to take part.
- All participants were debriefed before they let the laboratory to ensure peace of mind.
Weaknesses: - It was not informed consent that was given, as they were provided with fake details of the experiment.
- Although the participants could clearly withdraw for the experiment, and 35% did, the experimenter strongly discouraged this, with phrases such as “You have no other choice, you must go on”.
- The participants did not have protect from harm, for example three experienced ‘full-blown, uncontrollable seizures’ and fourteen showing ‘definite signs of nervous laughter’.
Validity
Strengths: - High levels of face validity; it would appear to be measuring obedience.
Weaknesses: - Low face validity; an explanation in terms of obedience alone is too simplistic and the behaviour of his participants could reflect their levels of empathy or moral courage.
- Low in ecological validity, not an everyday occurrence to be asked to give someone a series of electric shocks, no moral protocol.
Reliability
Strengths:- Highly replicable, e.g. Milgram replicated it with 40 different participants.
- The way in which results were recorded e.g. observing which switches the participant would press, would mean anyone overseeing the procedure would record the same results.
- Large enough sample to suggest a consistent effect whilst being cost effective.
Sample
Strengths:- It can be assumed that Milgram chose participants to reflect the sorts of people that would have worked in German nazi camps, linking to the aim and increasing face validity.
- Using a self-selected sample meant that participants chose their own involvement in the study.
Weaknesses:- Results couldn’t be generalisable, as he only used men and they were all of a similar age and from the same country.
Ethnocentrism
Strengths:- Obedience was seen in Germany during the war, and then again in Milgram’s research, suggesting that obedience is applicable across multiple or all cultures.
Weaknesses:- Could be seen as ethnocentric as was only carried out in the USA and cannot be assumed that American obedience levels is reflected in other cultures. Replications of the study were also carried out in other countries e.g. Italy, Britain and Spain, and the researchers came to similar conclusions.
Individual vs. SITUATIONAL
Situational because the research shows the effect of the situation (presence of the authority figure) on the participant’s level of obedience.
Free Will vs. DETERMINISM
Deterministic because the 65% of people who administered the shock’s behaviour was determined by the situation they were in.
Usefulness of research
Extremely useful because shows how authority figures can take advantage of the power they have and the obedience employees can exhibit, and how this can be used for negative things and should be stopped.
Link to the Social Area
Falls within the social area because reveals the extent to which people’s behaviour can be influenced by other people around them.
Links to the Individual Differences Area
Milgram’s study could be placed in the individual differences area because of his growing recognition that the same situation would not affect everyone in the same way and the explanations for the exhibited obedience were different.
Link to the key theme of responses to people in authority
Milgram’s study would appear to tell us that obedience to those in authority is more common than we would believe.
