Social Area- Milligram Flashcards
Background:
- Investigate obedience to authority figures
- Common in Nazi times ww2
- Milligram selected participants for experiments via newspapers
- Advertised for Male participants
- Take part in study at Yale Uni
Aim:
Investigate level of obedience participants would go to when asked to deliver electric shocks to someone
Research Method:
Controlled Observation
Sample:
40 men
aged 20-50
wide range of occupations
Sampling Method:
Local Newspaper, Direct mail to local residence, Ps get paid $4.50 for attending
Procedure:
- Each participants assigned role of teacher (rigged)
-Learner (one of the experimenters) strapped into chair with electrodes attached to arms (NOT ACTIVE) - Teacher given trial shock of 45 volts
- Used shock generator (P sits in-front of)
- Told that they would conduct a word pair task along with 4 options from learner to choose from
- Every word learner gets wrong- receives a shock which is increased by 15 volts each time
- Learner= set of pre-determined responses
- Approx 3 wrong answers each time
- Learner= no distressed noise until 300 volts (pounds on wall)
- After 300 learner stops answering and answers treated as incorrect
- Receives shocks
- After 315 volts= learner silent
- Ends when teacher goes to 450 volts or refuses
If participants turned to experimenters for advice what would happen?
Standardised verbal responses:
- Please continue
- The experiment requires you to continue
- It is absolutely essential that you continue
- You have no other choice but to continue
Data collection?
-Watched through one way mirror
- Notes on unusual behaviour
-Participants interviewed after study (open questions)
- And debriefed
- Met learner for reassurance
Controls:
-Fixed roles
-Strapping learner in chair
-Sample of electric shock
-Standerised script response
Results:
65% participants used 450 volts
100% continued to 300 v
All gave shocks 300v and labelled intense shocks
Qualitative findings:
signs of extreme stress and tension- sweat, tremble, stutter bite lip
14 nervous laugh
3 uncontrollable seizures
Debriefed they were not actually harmed
Conclusions
Situation had produced strong tendencies to obey a legitimate figure
Obedience caused emotional strain and tension
Ethical?
They debreifed interviewed the participants
Controlled observation allowed?
Easy monitoring
Consistency
Weaknesses
Not generalisable to rest of the generation
Unethical- deceived alot of tensions and stress
self selected- similar people
