Social Influence- Milgram, Explanations For Obediance

Question 1

After what event did Milgram decide to do rthis reasearch?

Answer 1

The Holocaust

Question 2

What did Milgram research?

Answer 2

Why Hitler’s order had been followed by the German people.
He designed a study that would test obedience

Question 3

Selection process Behavioral Study of Obedience
Milgram (1963)

Answer 3

-40 male 20-50 yr old volunteers (answered newspaper ads for a study on “memory’

Question 4

What happened at start of experiment?

Answer 4

introduced to a confederate, the selection of teacher and student was rigged to participant always getting teacher

Question 5

What key figure was present in the experiment?

Answer 5

Experimenter/ Professor

Question 6

What was the role of the Experimenter/ Professor?

Answer 6

E/P was another confederate dressed in a lab coat

and strapped the learner to a chair in a separate room and attached electrodes

Question 7

What was asked of the Partcipant?

Answer 7

-to deliver electric shocks each time the ‘learner’ gpt a q wrong

Question 8

Shock figures

Answer 8

shocks increase by 15 volts to 450 volts w/ the machine indicating ‘severe shock’

at 300v learners made noises and refused to go on

at 315v learner made no more noises indicating unconsciousness or death

Question 9

What were used to encourage the participants and when ?

Answer 9

Prods used when participant/teacher resisted top encourage them to go on/continue

Question 10

What was Prod 4

Answer 10

‘you have no other choice, you must go on’

Question 11

Results of experiment

Answer 11

-all participants continued to 300 volts
-12.5% stopped at 300 volts
-65% participants continued all the way to 450 volts

Question 12

Give all evaluative studies that can be used to support or criticise Milgram’s study on obdeiance

Answer 12

Hofling

Sheridan & King

Question 13

Does Hofling support or criticise Milgram

Answer 13

Support

Question 14

Does Sheridan & King support or criticise Milgram

Answer 14

Support

Question 15

Hofling’s supporting study

Answer 15

-demonstrated that 21/22 nurses in a real hospital ward would obey orders over the phone from a “Dr Smith”
-to give 20mg of an unfamiliar drug at twice the daily maximum

due to real world setting:
ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY
HIGHER MUNDANE REALSIM

Question 16

Sheridan & King’s supporting study

Answer 16

-participants were asked to give real shocks to a puppy
-54% males refused to go on to maximum
-100% females of all 13 women went all the way to max

Question 17

What does Sheridan & King’ study suggest?

Answer 17

strongly suggests that volunteers from Milgram’s study were not behaving due to demand characteristics to please researcher

Question 18

Evaluative point:
What was Milgram’s experiment criticised for ?

Answer 18

lacks mundane realism -not an everyday task

unethical as it violated ethical guidelines and subjected participants to an exceptional amount of stress

Question 19

Supporting statemnet for milgrams study

Answer 19

from a cost-benefit analysis the benefit to society of greater scientific knowledge of the power of obedience is worth the potential psychological harm to a small no. of participants

Concept of utalitarianism

Question 20

What actions did Milgram take after the experiement?

Answer 20

Follow up questionnaire
84% of participants indicated that they were pleased that they had participated