Social influence - obedience

Question 1

Obedience

Answer 1

A form of social influence in which an individual follows a direct order from a perceived authority figure

Question 2

Study that investigates obedience

Answer 2

Baseline obedience study by Milgram

Question 3

Aim of the study

Answer 3

Milgram wanted to find out whether ordinary people (not just German soldiers in the Second World War) would obey an authority figure, even when the figure was ‘unjust’ and they were required to injure another person

Question 4

Procedure for the study

Answer 4

• Milgram recruited 40 male participants by advertising volunteers (self-selected sample) for a study of how punishment affects learning, to take place at Yale University
• There were 2 confederates: an experimenter (the authority figure) and a learner. The participant took on the role of the teacher and was told to administer increasingly strong electric shocks to the learner, every time a mistake was made
• The shocks increased in 15v stepts to 450v
• The shocks were fake but the shock machine was labelled to make them look increasingly severe
• If teacher wisher to stop, experimenter gave a verbal prod to continue

Question 5

Findings of the study

Answer 5

• All participants went up to 300 volts
• 46% went up to 450 volts
• 12.5% stopped at 30 volts
• The participants showed signs of extreme tension – many were seen to sweat, tremble, stutter, bite their lips etc.
• Three participants even passed out

Question 6

Conclusion of the study

Answer 6

Ordinary people will obey authority even when they know what they are doing is wrong

Question 7

One strength of Milgram’s study

Answer 7

Research support

Question 8

EVALUATION: Research support

Answer 8

In a french tv documentary, contestants were paid to give (fake) electric shocks when ordered by the presenter to other participants (actors)

80% gave the max 460V to apparently unconscious man. Their behaviour was like that of Milgram’s participants e.g many signs of anxiety

This supports Milgram’s original findings about obedience to authority

Question 9

Three limitations of Milgram’s study

Answer 9

Population validity

Lacks internal validity

Ethical issues

Question 10

EVALUATION: Population validity

Answer 10

P - A weakness of Milgram’s research is that it is lacking population validity

E - Milgram’s study used only 40 male participants from the USA

E - This means his sample was gender biased and unrepresentative of females and the general population. Therefore, the results cannot be applied to females or any other cultures because the sample consisted solely of Americans males. Additionally, collectivist cultures may have had lower levels of obedience because they care more about others

L - Therefore, this reduces the validity of Milgram’s research because his sample was lacking population validity

Question 11

EVALUATION: Lacks internal validity

Answer 11

P - A limitation of Milgram’s research is that it may lack internal validity

E - Orne and Holland found that participants were ‘going along with the act’ when they administered the electric shocks. Participants didn’t really believe in the set up, they guessed it wasn’t real electric shocks

E - Participants may have been demonstrating unnatural behaviour because they knew that the electric shocks weren’t real. Thus they were not naturally obeying but instead choosing to co-operate. So, Milgram isn’t really measuring obedience which is what he intended to measure

L - Therefore, decreasing the internal validity of the study

Question 12

COUNTERPOINT TO THE LACK OF INTERNAL VALIDITY

Answer 12

However, Sheridan and King’s participants gave real (non lethal) shocks to a puppy; 54% of males and 100%% of females delivered what they thought was a fatal shock

This suggests the obedience in Milgram’s study might be genuine

Question 13

EVALUATION: Ethical issues

Answer 13

P - One drawback of Milgram’s research is that it raises a number of ethical issues.

E - Because participants were misled about the study’s goal, Milgram’s study contains deception and raises concerns about the degree to which proper informed consent was gained. Participants were given verbal cues to stay, thus in reality, they were not given the option to withdraw. Furthermore, individuals suffered psychological injury as a result of being in incredibly stressful situations.

E - The credibility of Milgram’s research is called into question by these ethical issues.

L - Therefore, decreasing the validity of Milgram’s results