Social Influence - Milgrams & Adorno Explanation for Obedience Flashcards
What is obedience?
A form of compliance, that occurs when people follow direct commands, usually from someone in a position of power
What was the Aim of Milgram’s study into obedience?
To investigate how far ordinary people would go in obeying orders of an authority figure, even if it involved inflicting harm upon another.
What was the procedure of Milgram’s study into obedience?
- Took place in Yale university
- 40 Male Americans
- Volunteer sampling
- They were deceived and told it was a study on memory
- Participants always assigned the role of the teacher with a confederate assigned the role of a student
-Participant had to give electric shocks from 15 volts to 450volts every time the learner got a question wrong - Learner gave mostly wrong answers
- At 300 and 315volts the learner would pound on the wall after that the learner would stay quiet
- Experimenter would encourage participants to continue if they wanted to stop with 4 scripted prompts…
“Please continue”, “The experiment requires you to continue” , “ Its absolutely essential that you continue” and “ You have no other choice ; you must go on” - Participants were unaware the shocks were fake until Milgram gave a debrief
What was the findings of Milgram’s study?
- 100% of participants went up to 300 volts
- 65% continued the shocks till max
- Only 12% stopped at 300 volts
- Most participants were visibly distressed and did not want to continue
Conclusions of Milgram’s study?
His research suggests the majority of people will follow orders of an authority figure, even if that order leads to harm
Strength 1 (Milgram explanations) High internal validity
P: Milgram’s research has high internal validity.
E: Conducted in a controlled lab setting with standardised procedures.
E: This control & minimises extraneous variables and enhances reliability, showing that results are due to experimental conditions.
L: Ensures strong evidence for the relationship between authority and obedience.
Strength 2 ( Milgram) : Good external validity
P: Milgram’s research has good external validity
E: Findings observed in historical events like wartime atrocities( like the Holocausts), showing how ordinary people obey authority figures.
E: Demonstrates real-world applicability and prompted more rigorous ethical standards in psychology.
L: Therefore highlighting the importance and lasting impact of Milgram’s findings as they can be generalised and help us understand human behaviour
Weakness 1 (Milgram): Ethical concerns
P: A significant weakness of Milgram’s research is the ethical concerns it raises.
E: Participants were subjected to intense stress, believing they were causing real harm to others, which could have caused long-term psychological effects.
E: Deception was used extensively, as participants were misled about the true nature of the experiment and believed they were delivering painful electric shocks. This level of deceit and the emotional strain on participants raise questions about the ethics of the study and the potential harm to those involved.
L: Therefore, while Milgram’s findings are influential, the ethical issues surrounding the treatment of participants limit the study’s acceptability and impact on current psychological research practices.
Weakness 2( Milgram): Lack of Ecological Validity
P: Another weakness of Milgram’s research is its lack of ecological validity.
E: The experiment was conducted in an artificial laboratory setting, which is quite different from real-world situations where obedience occurs.
E: Participants were aware that they were part of a study, which may have influenced their behaviour. The lab environment and the nature of the task (delivering shocks) do not accurately represent everyday scenarios where obedience to authority might be observed, such as in workplace environment’s.
L: As a result, the findings may not fully generalize to real-life situations, limiting the applicability of the results outside the controlled experimental context.
