Milligrams study of obedience

Question 1

What was the aim of the study?

Answer 1

To test the hypothesis- ‘Germans are different’

Question 2

Methodology used

Answer 2

laboratory conditions

Question 3

Where did it take place?

Answer 3

Yale university (place of authority)

Question 4

Why was it conducted in Yale university?

Answer 4

its a place of authority

Question 5

Features of laboratory experiment?

Answer 5

• controlled environment
• standardized procedures
• control of variables
• recording of data
• ## strict sampling frame to reduce individual differences

Question 6

Why was it difficult to categorize?

Answer 6

no IV or DV

Question 7

Why was there no IV

Answer 7

it would have been nationality but they were all Americans

Question 8

What was measured?

Answer 8

• the participants behaviour
• the maximum shock participants would administer

Question 9

Features of the advertisement

Answer 9

• volunteer sampling
• money reward $4.50
• new haven newspaper
• described as a study on memory and planning

Question 10

What was the money reward?

Answer 10

$4.50

Question 11

Issues with volunteer sampling?

Answer 11

not generalisable, representative

Question 12

what newspaper was it on?

Answer 12

new haven

Question 13

What was the study described as

Answer 13

memory and planning

Question 14

prod 1

Answer 14

‘please continue’/ ‘please go on’

Question 15

prod 2

Answer 15

‘The experiment requires for you to go on’

Question 16

prod 3

Answer 16

‘It is absolutely essential that you continue’

Question 17

prod 4

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Who acted as the student

Answer 18

Mr Wallace (pretended to be another participant)

Question 19

What was done at the end of the experiment?

Answer 19

full debrief and interview of their experience

Question 20

how many participants

Answer 20

40 male participants

Question 21

features of participants

Answer 21

• range of occupations
• american
• range of educational levels
• volunteers
• male

Question 22

Positives of volunteer sampling

Answer 22

• less time consuming
• less costly
• less bias to opportunity sampling
• increased population validity

Question 23

Negatives of volunteer sampling

Answer 23

• it was only advertised in one area
• only measures the cultural bias and obedience of one area

Question 24

negative of the gender bias

Answer 24

difficult to generalize to the obedience of women

Question 25

justify the gender bias

Answer 25

the military would have been mainly men- more representative of the hypothesis

Question 26

negative of the sample bias

Answer 26

- can't be generalized to the whole population - may have unique features which make them a volunteer

Question 27

justification of the sample bias

Answer 27

- army contains volunteers (representative of the army)

Question 28

What were the 4 ethical issues of this study?

Answer 28

1- deception 2- psychological harm 3- right to withdraw 4- valid consent

Question 29

deception

Answer 29

- told it was on learning and memory - waited a year to debrief some of the participants - used to reduce social desirability bias and demand characteristics - improve internal validity

Question 30

How could they have solved the issue of deception?

Answer 30

- Debrief all participants straight after the study - offer them counselling

Question 31

Psychological harm

Answer 31

- 3 participants had uncontrollable seizures - Many were in shock, sweating, bit their lip, pushed their nails into their skin - Some had to live with the guilt for a whole year until they were debriefed

Question 32

What was the justification of the psychological harm?

Answer 32

Milgram downplayed the severity of the experience and compared it to watching a scary film, therefore not causing any long-term trauma

Question 33

How was their right to withdraw questioned?

Answer 33

- The use of the prods - feel as if they must do it and stopping wasn't an option

Question 34

Justification to questioning their right to withdraw

Answer 34

if they hadn't used the prods, would they actually be testing obedience?- improves internal validity

Question 35

Valid consent

Answer 35

- The participants only consented to be apart of a study testing language and memory and not obedience

Question 36

justification of valid consent

Answer 36

if they were told the aim of the study, the results would be screwed by demand characteristics and social desirability bias- increases internal validity

Question 37

What type of psychology was this study?

Answer 37

Social psychology

Question 38

internal validity issues

Answer 38

- use of electrical punishment (unrealistic, did the participants actually think that the shocks were real?) - demand characteristics - unrealistic response from the experimenter

Question 39

External validity issues

Answer 39

- use of volunteers - only male participants - lack of mundane realism for everyday obedience - only relevant to extreme obedience - lack of relevance to modern society