The Social Approach- Milgram

Question 0

What is the aim of the study?

Answer 0

To investigate the level of obedience and what would be shown when subjects were told by an authoritative figure to administer electric shocks to another person.

Which factors increase obedience and which increase independent behaviour.

Question 1

What is the IV?

Answer 1

There is NO IV . ( low validity )

Question 2

What is the DV?

Answer 2

1) The teacher reacts and refuses to shock. ( obedience?)
2) voltage given on shock generator
3) unusual behaviour

Question 3

What are the controls?

Answer 3

1) subject always the teacher
2) same experiment in same lab
3) standardised prompts/ prods

Question 4

What were the 4 verbal prods?

Answer 4

1) please continue / please go on
2) the experiment requires that you continue.
3) It is absolutely essential that you continue.
4) you have no other choice, you must go on.

Question 5

What did the experimenter say if the teacher asked whether the learner might suffer permanent physical injury?

Answer 5

” Although the shocks may be painful, there is no permanent tissue damage, so please go on. “

Question 6

What was the sample for this experiment ?

Answer 6

40 male workers aged 20-50 
From New Haven 
Took place at YALE UNI 
Experimenter= lab coat, stern emotionless 
Victim( learner - stooge ) = middle aged mild mannered accountant , likeable. 
Teacher = pps 
VOLUNTEER, SELF SELECTED SAMPLE
milgram took full responsibility.

Question 7

How much were the participants paid prior to the experiment ?

Answer 7

$4.50

Question 8

What was the procedure? (6)

Answer 8

1) read out series of words and the person strapped to the chair would have to memorise them.
2) the teachers would have to shock them if they got the wrong answer. The voltage went up to 450V.
3) the learner was an actor and was told to scream and ‘thud’ after 300v - from this there would be no response given.
4) the teachers generally stopped at 300V , when asked why he wasn’t responding said the standardised verbal prods.
5) at 450v the PPS would have died .
6) After the experiment the teacher was reunited with the learner and assured that no shocks has been given , he was also interviewed with open questions. ( debrief+ qualitative data and quantitate gathered )

Question 9

What Type of experiment was this?

Answer 9

experiment under lab conditions - NO IV

Question 10

Within the procedure , what happened prior to the experiment taking place?

Answer 10

Took name out of a hat to see who would be the teacher and who would be the learner ( staged )
Gave the PPS money to ensure there was no factors behind the experiment that would affect the results ( thinking of getting the money.)
gave the teacher a sample shock of 40v

Question 11

What were the results of the experiment ?

Answer 11

1) All 40 pps obeyed up to 300v
2) 65% of pps gave shocks up to 450v
3) after 300v 5 immediately refused to continue .
4) total of 14 pps defied the experimenter , 26 obeyed.

Question 12

What were the results regarding the observations of the PPS during the experiment?

Answer 12

Sweat , trembled and shook
14/40 nervous laugh
3 PPS had full blown seizure
With few exceptions pps were convinced of the reality in the experiment.

Question 13

What were the results of Milgrams survey prior to the experiment ?

Answer 13

Range of people predicted pps behaviour

1% pps would go up to 450v

Question 14

What was the results of the follow up?

Answer 14

92% response rate
84% positive
2% negative
6% struggled to form any opinion.

Question 15

Why was age 20-50 the age range?

Answer 15

This was the age range in Germany men were told to obey ( in ww2.)
the background being this and the recent trial of Adolf Eichamann

Question 16

What was Milgrams explanation on obedience ?

Answer 16

1) the experiment took place at Yale university
2) pps believed the experiment was for a worthy purpose.
3) the PPS believed the victim had volunteered to be in the study, obligation to participate.
4) similarly with the teacher pps himself
5) payment increases sense of obligation
6) pps believes role allocation is fair
7) pps had little knowledge of what to expect with a psychology experiment
8) pps assured shocks were painful but not dangerous, the long term scientific knowledge outweighed short term.
9) the victim leaner answered all questions up to 300v - implying his willingness to take part.
10) they were not in an everyday life situation.

Question 17

What are the strengths of this experiment?

Answer 17

1) amount of control able to give ( believed the experiment , used standardised prods )
2) collected both qualitative and quantitative data - level of shocks given + interviews& observation.
3) ground breaking ( prior survey and context of nazi Germany)

Question 18

What are the weaknesses of this experiment?

Answer 18

1) pps deceived to the exact nature of the study
2) milgram maybe didn’t take adequate measures to protect the PPS from the stress and emotional conflict they experienced ( in his defence he didn’t predict obtained results )
3) long term effects on pps ?( independent psychiatrist interviews say no psychological harm or traumatic stress.)
4) it was good that the money was given and milgram stated it was theirs regardless however during the experiment withdrawal was implied as being unlikely.
5) unrepresentative sample - milgram chose to study only American men ( deliberately ethnocentric ) not reflecting general population = low population validity
6) not ecologically valid , artificial setting and no relevance to the real world.
7) ETHICS = 3 teachers seizures , no protection from harm , only some cases were there a debrief , consent was fully informed - deceived.

Question 19

How much did each shock increase by ?

Answer 19

15V

From 15v to 450v

Question 20

When was the experiment finished for each PPS

Answer 20

1) when the participant had refused to go on

2) when 3x450v shocks had been given

Question 21

What shock did the teacher receive ?

Answer 21

Sample shock of 40v