SOCIAL: Milgram (1963)

Question 1

The aim?

Answer 1

To investigate the tendency to obey DESTRUCTIVE orders from individuals in positions of AUTHORITY.

Question 2

What are destructive orders?

Answer 2

Orders that lead to harming others

Question 3

Why did Milgram carry out this study?

Answer 3

• Milgram was affected by NAZIs who displayed people obeying destructive orders
• Early psychological research focused on a DISPOSITIONAL hypothesis: something distinctive about GERMAN CULTURE/PERSONALITY led to high levels of conformity and obedience of destructive orders.

but Milgram was interested in the SOCIAL PROCESSES that take place between individuals and within groups so looks as SITUATIONAL HYPOTHESIS -> the effect of social processes depending on the SITUATION rather than the characteristics of the individual.

Question 4

What did Milgram do PRIOR to procedure?

Answer 4

He told 14 psychology yale students about his procedure and they estimated that only 1.2% of participants would obey the orders and give ALL 450v shocks.

Question 5

The design of the study?

Answer 5

Milgram described it as “LABORATORY experiment”
BUT
only had 1 condition so actually a PRE-EXPERIMENT
and so results served as baseline for other followup studies.

Question 6

What was the DEPENDENT variable; how was it operationalised?

Answer 6

OBEDIENCE

operationalised by measuring the MAX VOLTAGE given in response to the orders.

Question 7

What was the INDEPENDENT variable?

Answer 7

NONE.

only 1 condition hence why it is a PRE-EXPERIMENT

Question 8

How many PARTICIPANTS?

Answer 8

40 MEN

• all from NEW HAVEN district of north america
• aged 20-50yrs old
• Range of jobs (manual labourers; white collar workers; professionals)

Question 9

How were the participants recruited?

Answer 9

VOLUNTEER / SELF-SELECTING SAMPLE

-newspaper advertisement: promised $4.50 but made clear it was only for SHOWING UP not completing.

Question 10

Where did the study take place?

Answer 10

Yale university

Question 11

What machine was used?

Answer 11

An electric shock generator

-15V to 450V in 15V increments

Question 12

What happened after participants arrived at Yale university?

Answer 12

Introduced to a man they believed was another participant and the two men were briefed on the SUPPOSED purpose of the experiment.

They were then given the role of a teacher/learner through a FIXED LOTTERY where the participant was always the teacher.

‘Learner’ was strapped to machine.

Question 13

What was the SUPPOSED aim of the study?

Answer 13

To investigate the EFFECT OF PUNISHMENT ON LEARNING

Question 14

Who was the CONFEDERATE / STOOGE?

Answer 14

MR WALLACE a 47yr old man working for milgram.

A likeable mild mannered accountant.

Question 15

What was the participant told about the shocks?

Answer 15

That they were extremely painful but NOT dangerous.

They were given a 45V shock demonstration

Question 16

Who was in what room?

Answer 16

The learner and teacher were in separate rooms but could talk/hear each other.
Experiment was in same room as teacher-participant.

Question 17

Who was the experimenter?

Answer 17

THE ‘AUTHORITY’ figure

played by a 31yr old male biology teacher

Question 18

What did the participant have to do?

Answer 18

Read out WORD PAIRS to test the confederate-learner.
Each time learner got it wrong, experimenter ordered teacher to give a shock.
Shock got larger by 15V each time
Learner got 3 wrong for every 1 right.

Question 19

What did the confederate-learner during the shocks?

Answer 19

He wasn’t really strapped in-> recording:

-no responses until 300V & 315V pounded the wall suggesting he was hurt or unconscious

Question 20

What did the experimenter do when the teacher-participant turned for guidance when the learner did not respond to next word pair?

Answer 20

The experimenter told them to treat it as wrong and give another shock.

Question 21

What happened when the teacher-participant protested?

Answer 21

experimenter gave verbal prods to encourage them to continue.

Question 22

When was the procedure considered to be finished?

Answer 22

When the participant refused to give any more shocks or when they gave all 450V.

Question 23

What happened after the procedure was completed?

Answer 23

Participants were interviewed and asked to rate on a scale of 0-14 how painful the last few shocks they gave were and dehoaxed and told real purpose of study.

Question 24

What type of data was gathered?

Answer 24

BOTH quantitative and qualitative

Question 25

How was data gathered?

Answer 25

By the experimenter in the room and by people watching through a one way mirror.

Question 26

In what form was qualitative data gathered?

Quote some.

Answer 26

The comments and protests made during procedure / body language

eg.
- 14 GIGGLED
- 1 SEVERE SEIZURE and procedure was stopped
- groaning, sweating, biting lip
- most people protested by verbal prods were sufficient to get them to continue

Question 27

In what form was quantitative data gathered?

Quote some.

Answer 27

the average voltage that participants went up to
and the number of participants giving each voltage.
eg.
-100% gave up to 300V or more
-65% gave all 450V
-Average rating of how painful shock was = 13.42 out of 14

Question 28

What 2 conclusions were made AND how were they supported?

Answer 28

1. People are MORE obedient to destructive order than we might expect.
   -QUANTITATIVE DATA of the estimated 1.2% vs 65% 450v
2. People find the experience of receiving and obeying destructive orders HIGHLY STRESSFUL.
   QUALITATIVE DATA showing the conflict between 2 deeply ingrained tendencies: obeying authoritative figure vs not to harm people.

Question 29

Do results support Dispositional or situational hypothesis?

Answer 29

Situational

Question 30

Give the 9 factors Milgram gave to explain the high levels of obedience.

Answer 30

1. Carried out in YALE UNIVERSITY = top uni
2. Aim of study appears to be a WORTHWHILE AIM
3. Learner appears to have VOLUNTEERED and so obligation to experimenter.
4. Teacher also VOLUNTEERED also obliged feeling.
5. From teacher perspective, he could have equally gotten the role of learner so LESS GUILTY.
6. Payment -> feel obliged.
7. Rights to WITHDRAW was not obvious and VERBAL PRODS discouraged the right.
8. Participants assured shocks were NOT DANGEROUS.
9. Learner appeared comfortable for 300V

Question 31

Why is having both quantitative and qualitative data a STRENGTH?

Answer 31

a more accurate conclusion was able to be made.

without qualitative data no conclusion of highly stressed.

Question 32

What ethical issues were raised?

Answer 32

• no informed consent.
• deceived about several things.
• discouraged right to withdraw via verbal prods
• caused participants considerable stress

BUT argued:

• necessary to deceive and was thoroughly debriefed at earliest opportunity
• distressed only for a short time -> left happy and glad they took part.

Question 33

Why does this study lack ecological validity?

Answer 33

artificial task and environment.

not an everyday situation

Question 34

Was it reliable?

Answer 34

Yes.

already been replicated many times therefore the study is consistent with results.

Question 35

What was wrong with the sampling?

Answer 35

SAMPLING BIAS

• all men
• all from new haven district
• volunteer sample: same type of people