Social Psych- milgram, bocchiaro

Question 1

What are the key assumptions of the social psychology thought

Answer 1

-All behaviour occurs in a social context and others/ environment influence behaviour and thought process
-behaviour is influenced by actual, imagined or implied presence of others

Question 2

What is Milgrams aims

Answer 2

-To investigate what level of obedience would be shown when P’s were told by an authority figure to administer electric shocks to a person.

Question 3

Explain Milgrams sample used and its advantages/disadvantages

Answer 3

-used 40 different 20-50 aged white male men in New Haven area
-unrepresentative since only shows social norms of one area
-since comparing to “Germans are different” hypothesis this range of men is valid

Question 4

Describe the sample method used and its advantages/disadvantages in milgrams study

Answer 4

-Volunteer sampling used:

reached a wide range of men with different occupations/ages = shows obedience across different types of men
risk of bias since advertised payment so P’s may provide demand characteristics to guess what researcher is looking for.

Question 5

Explain the ADVANTAGES of using a controlled observation and how it is done in Milgrams study

Answer 5

-High control over extraneous variables/ standardisation
>same environment, same 4 prods,
fixed roles
-will increase reliability and validity
since can easily establish cause and effect and replicate

Question 6

Explain the DISADVANTAGES of using a controlled observation in Milgrams study

Answer 6

-Lab experiment cause low ecological validity since it is not true to life
-task was too extreme
-lab result in demand characteristics (disproved in conclusion)

Question 7

Was Milgrams study snapshot or longitudinal? ADV/DISADV

Answer 7

Snapshot, One measurement over one time
-compares many individuals at the same point in time so clear conclusion can be drawn
-don’t see the development over time
-one measurement only shows these men in this situation at Yale so cant see practical applications

Question 8

Explain the ecological validity aspects of Milgrams study:

Answer 8

-Low since task is too extreme to be realistic and in a lab setting
-High since reactions were realistic and scenario seemed real to P’s = experimental realism

Question 9

Explain all the ethical issues of Milgrams study

Answer 9

-Informed consent was not full gained but required to get realistic reactions
-Deception was broken multiple times but necessary for accurate data
-Right to withdraw was not seen to as P’s felt obliged/pressured to stay (4 prods and being payed) this highlights effect of authority figure
-Protection of participants: P’s were is a state of distress: trembling, uncontrollable seizures, laughing fits. P’s learnt something valuable about themselves
P’s were given a full debrief after the study was conducted

Question 10

Give Qualitative and Quantitive evidence in Milgrams study

Answer 10

-65% obeyed up to 450 volts, 35% stopped before 450 volts
-All 40 participants obeyed up to 300 volts
-Participants showed signs of nervousness and tension, P’s sweated, trembled, dug fingernails in their skin,
-P’s had nervous laughing fits, uncontrollable seizers