Study of Obedience - Milgram (1961)

Question 1

What is the definition of Obedience?

Answer 1

Obedience means to comply with the demands of someone you see as an authority figure

Question 2

What is the Agentic theory?

Answer 2

When we act as an agent for someone in authority, we tend to deny responsibility for our actions and redirecting the blame

Question 3

What is the Agentic state

Answer 3

When an individual allows someone else (authority) to direct their behaviour

Question 4

What is the Autonomous state?

Answer 4

When an individual directs their own behaviour and takes responsibility for their own consequences

Question 5

What was Milgram’s aim?

Answer 5

To investigate how far people go in obeying an authority figure who instructed them to perform unjust orders

Question 6

What procedure did Milgram use?

Answer 6

Milgram used a volunteer sample of 40 male students studying at Yale university. The participants would be “randomly allocated” to the role of teacher and student (the ppt was always the teacher and the students were all confederates). The student was taken into a room and electrodes were attached to his arm; the researcher and ppt went into the room next door and the teacher was to administer electric shocks based upon the response of the student in a test. The voltage was to increase if the student continuously answered incorrectly from 15V -> 450V (Death).

Question 7

What were the results of Milgram’s study?

Answer 7

Milgram predicted 2% of ppts would shock up to the highest level. However, all participants went up to 300V and 65% shocked up to 450V

Question 8

What did Milgram conclude from his study?

Answer 8

He concluded that under the right circumstances, ordinary people will obey unjust orders

Question 9

What were the types of variations of the Obedience study and examples?

Answer 9

Types:
- Proximity (Teacher and student being in the same room caused lower obedience)
- Location (A more remote area caused a drop in obedience)
- Uniform (Casual clothing caused a lower rate of obedience)
Examples:
- Bickman - Ppts were more likely to obey a researcher dressed as a guard (80%) rather than as a milkman or civilian (40%) (Uniform)
- Hofling et al - 21/22 nurses obeyed a Doctor without hesitation giving a lethal dose to a patient (Location)

Question 10

What are the strengths and limits of Milgram’s Obedience study?

Answer 10

Strengths:
- Lab study
- High mundane realism
- Real life applications
Limits:
- Demand characteristics
- Gender bias as all ppts were men (Beta bias) less generalisable = less external validity
- Ethics (DRIPP)