Milgram's Line Experiment

Question 1

Stanley Milgram

Answer 1

Best known for his controversial obedience study conducted in Yale University 1961. He was influenced by the events of the Holocaust and the trial of Adolf Eichmann.

Question 2

Aim

Answer 2

To investigate the “Germans are different” hypothesis and the conflict between obedience to authority and personal conscience.

Question 3

Procedure

Answer 3

• Selected 40 male participants ( 20-50years of age) from an advertisement in the newspaper at Yale university, each paid $4.50
• They were paid with another participant (confederate) and the experimenter then drew lots to assign their roles. The confederate always ended up being the ‘leaner’
• Two rooms in the Yale Interaction Laboratory were used - one for the learner (with an electric chair) and another for the teacher and experimenter with an electric shock generator.
• The experimenter would tell the teacher to increase the shocks to the learner each time he gave a incorrect answer. There were 30 shock levels ( 15volts - 450volts)
• When the teacher refused to administer a shock the experimenter was to give a series of orders / prods to ensure they continued.

Question 4

What were the prods used?

Answer 4

Prod 1: Please continue.
Prod 2: The experiment requires you to continue
Prod 3: It is absolutely essential that you continue.
Prod 4: You have no other choice but to continue.

Question 5

Results

Answer 5

65% (two-thirds) of participants (i.e. teachers) continued to the highest level of 450 volts. All the participants continued to 300 volts.

Question 6

Variations

Answer 6

Milgram did more than one experiment – he carried out 18 variations of his study. All he did was alter the situation (IV) to see how this affect obedience (DV)

1. Uniform
2. Location
3. Social Support
4. Two teachers
5. Touch proximity
6. Absence of experimenter

Question 7

Uniform variation

Answer 7

The role of the experimenter was then taken over by an ‘ordinary member of the public’ ( a confederate) in everyday clothes rather than a lab coat. The obedience level dropped to 20%.

Question 8

Location variation

Answer 8

The experiment was moved to a set of run down offices rather than the impressive Yale University. Obedience dropped to 47.5%. This suggests that status of location effects obedience.

Question 9

Proximity variation

Answer 9

It is easier to resist the orders from an authority figure if they are not close by. When the experimenter instructed and prompted the teacher by telephone from another room, obedience fell to 20.5%.
Participants pretended to administer shock levels or gave lover voltage shocks

Question 10

Social support variation

Answer 10

Two other participants (confederates) were also teachers but refused to obey. Confederate 1 stopped at 150 volts and confederate 2 stopped at 210 volts.

The presence of others who are seen to disobey the authority figure reduces the level of obedience to 10%.

Question 11

Two Teacher variation

Answer 11

When participants could instruct an assistant (confederate) to press the switches, 92.5% shocked to the maximum 450 volts. When there is less personal responsibility obedience increases. This relates to Milgram’s Agency Theory.

Question 12

Conclusion

Answer 12

People tend to obey orders from other people if they recognize their authority as morally right and / or legally based. This response to legitimate authority is learned in a variety of situations, for example in the family, school and workplace.