Milgram

Question 1

Describe Milgram’s participants

Answer 1

40: 20-50 year old men, from the New Haven area. No students-range of occupations (Factory workers, teachers, engineers, salesmen, city employees, etc.)

Question 2

Aim of Milgram’s study

Answer 2

To investigate the process of obedience by testing how far ordinary Americans would go in obeying an authority figure.

Question 3

What sampling method did Milgram use?

Answer 3

Self-selecting-ad in newspaper+mail boxes, paid volunteers $4.50

Question 4

Strengths of Milgrams sample

Answer 4

-Represented those working in concentration camps
-Range of occupation and ages

Question 5

Weaknesses of Milgrams sample

Answer 5

-Not generalisable
-Important gender differences missed
-Only people from one area

Question 6

Strengths of Milgram’s sampling method

Answer 6

-More co-operative as they chose to be there
-Removes researcher bias
-Get consent easily

Question 7

Weaknesses of Milgram’s sampling method

Answer 7

-More expensive
-No guaranteed response (wanted 500 participants, got 40)
-Certain type of person who responds-already obedient?

Question 8

What were Milgram’s quantitative results?

Answer 8

-65% of participants completed the full experiment
-0% left before 300V
-14 showed nervous laughter
-3 had ‘uncontrollable full blown seizures’

Question 9

What were Milgram’s qualitative results?

Answer 9

-Particants were ‘observed to sweat, tremble, stutter, bite their lips, groan and dig their fingernails into their flesh.

Question 10

Give 2 quotes from the participants during the study.

Answer 10

-‘These are terrific volts. I don’t think this is very humane…oh I can’t go on with this’
-‘I can’t do that to a man. I’ll hurt his heart. You take your money’

Question 11

What were Milgram’s conclusions?

Answer 11

-The situation created produced strong tendencies to obey.
-The situation caused emotional strain and tension-not happy with doing it.
-Germans aren’t different.

Question 12

How did Milgram explain why the results occurred?

Answer 12

-Thought that both people ran the risk of being the learner
-Yale was a credible institution+researchers lab coat
-Little time for reflection
-Were getting paid-felt obliged.

Question 13

Why were there high tension levels?

Answer 13

-Participants had to try meet demands of two people (learner and researcher)
-They were unable to meet both of these demands

Question 14

What were the prods that the ‘experimenter’ gave the ‘teacher’?

Answer 14

-‘Please continue’
-‘The experiment requires that you require’
-‘It is absolutely essential that you continue’
-‘You have no other choice, you must continue’