Social Psychology

Question 1

What’s was the aim of Milgram’s study?

Answer 1

For the original study the aim was to test whether an American sample would show similar rates of obedience to German soldiers in WW2.

Question 2

What was the sample of Milgram’s study?

Answer 2

40 male participants from a range of occupational backgrounds.

Question 3

How were the participants sampled?

Answer 3

The participants were sampled using volunteer sampling with advertisements in newspapers offering $4.50 to participate.

Question 4

What was the procedure of Milgram’s study?

Answer 4

Milgram had the participants enter a room where there was a researcher and a shock generator. In a room next to this room there was a confederate “attached” to the shock generator. Milgram used a 40V shock to show the participant that the generator was real. Participants were then asked to orderly press the buttons on the shock generator as it increases by 15 volts each time from 15V to 450V if the learner/confederate provided the incorrect answer to Mr Wallace/teachers questions which were to provide the second word to a word pair.

Question 5

What were the verbal prods used by the teacher/researcher?

Answer 5

Please continue, The experiment requires you to continue, It is absolutely essential that you continue, You have no other choice but to continue.

Question 6

What was the IV/DV?

Answer 6

There is no independent variable because Milgrams study is a structured observation not an experiment.

Question 7

How did Milgram measure obedience?

Answer 7

The extent to which the participants completed the shock generator or how many of the buttons that they pressed, if they reached 450V this was evident of “complete obedience”

Question 8

What were the results of Milgrams study?

Answer 8

65% of participants were completely obedient reaching the 450V. Milgram also observed that 14 of the participants showed nervous laughter.

Question 9

What were the conclusions from this study?

Answer 9

Milgram concludes that ordinary people will be obedient to commands whether or not they can inflict harm, if they are put in the right situation.

Question 10

What are the strengths of Milgram’s Study?

Answer 10

1 High reliability - Milgram used a standardised procedure (use of a shock generator and verbal prods).

Question 12

What are the weaknesses of Milgram’s study?

Answer 12

1 Low generalisability - The participants were all male. Milgram used volunteer sampling indicative that the participants were already obedient people. 2 Ecological validity - completed in an artificial environment (Yale Univeristy), may not to representative of obedience rates in a reality. 3 Ethics - Milgram inflicted mental distress on the participants by making them believe that they was unnecessarily hurting another person.

Question 13

What is Variation 7 (absent authority)

Answer 13

This is a variation of Milgram’s original study but the researcher gives the instructions at the start and then leaves them with the shock generator and telephone. If the participant had questions or doubts they had to phone the Researcher.

Question 14

What were the results from variation 7

Answer 14

Obedience rates dropped to 22.5% with some participants giving lower shocks then they were told to as they thought they weren’t being observed.

Question 15

What is variation 10 (Run down office/Bridgeport)

Answer 15

This is a variation of Milgram’s study which took place in a rundown office.

Question 16

What were the results from variation 10 (Bridgeport)

Answer 16

Obedience dropped to 45.5%, Milgram concluded the location was not as important as the role of the authority figure.

Question 17

What is variation 13 (ordinary authority figure)

Answer 17

In this variation Mr Williams explains the procedure to the participants and is then called away, a second confederate is left in the room with them to write down the times of each test.