Obedience - Milgram’s Research

Question 1

What is obedience?

Answer 1

A type of social influence, where an individual follows a direct order from an authority figure

Question 2

What was Milgram’s experiment inspired by?

Answer 2

The holocaust - millions of people slaughtered
British and Americans thought the Holocaust (Nazi) was because of the german national character but milligram thought it was down to obedience - American and British would do the same

Question 3

What was the aim of Milgrams Research?
1
2

Answer 3

To investigate how far people will go to obey authority figures even if there are negative consequences on someone else by inflicting pain on them

Milgram wanted to discover factors leading to obedience

Question 4

Milligrams obedience study Method:
A01

Aim
Sample
1
2

Method
1
2
3

Answer 4

Milgram recruited 40 volunteer ps to take part in what they thought was a study into the role of punishment on learning at Yale university
The actual aim was whether ps would obey an AF even when they are harming someone

Real participant was always the teacher and the confederate was always the learner
The teacher gave electric shocks to the learner in 15V increments whenever the learner made a mistake.
Learning task consisted of a word-pair task in which the teacher read a word and learner was to indicate which term paired with the first word by pressing one of four buttons

Question 5

Milligrams obedience study Findings:
A01

Answer 5

It was predicted that less than 1% would go up to max volume (15-450V)

100% up to 300V
60% 450V
Qualitative: real participant tension sweat, 3 even uncontrollable seizures

In alter study milgram varied some aspects
Learner and teacher same room (proximity):
C: 65% to 40%

Yale University to downtown office (location)
C: 65% to 47%

Question 6

Milgram conclusion:

Answer 6

Ordinary people are obedient to authority even when asked to behave in an inhumane way.

Germans are diff hypothesis wrong

Question 7

What do were the 4 prompts the experimenter used in Milgrams Experiment?

Answer 7

please continue’
‘the experiment requires that you continue’
‘it is absolutely essential that you continue’
‘you have no other choice, you must go on’

Question 8

What was the learning task?

Answer 8

Lesson administered by the teacher consisted of a word-pair task in which the teacher listed a series of word pairs to the learner and then read the first word of the pair along with four terms - learner was to indicate which of the four terms had originally been paired with the first word by pressing one of four buttons.

Question 9

Evaluation of milgram:
S
L
L
L

Answer 9

S: ecological validity
L: Ps didn’t believe shocks were real
L:Biased sample
L: ethical issues

Question 10

Evaluation of milgram:
Ps didn’t believe shocks were real

Answer 10

E: Orne and Holland: found that some participants knew it was fake and that the shocks they were administrating to the learner were not real.
E: This meant that some participants were not obeying authority figures even when conflicting pain like Zimbardo concluded but because they knew it was harmless
L: this reduces the internal validity of Zimbardos experience and the results are not testing Zimbardos aim of to what extent they will go to obey authority figures even when conflicting plain
E: However: Milgram reported 70% of participants believed shocks were real

Question 11

Evaluation of milgram:
Biased Sample

Answer 11

E: Sample of 40 males. Example of androcentrism - placing the male perspective as the norm.
However there is a common belief woman are more obedient.
L: gender differences not accounted for in Milgrams conclusions.
E: However milgram in one condition had all females and found rates of obedience were exactly the same
L: despite not accounting gender differences, Milgrams results are still reliable.

Question 12

Evaluation of milgram:
Strength ecological validity

Answer 12

HOFLING NURSES
to see if nurses will obey doctors order to give a 20mg dose to a patient when the maximum dose is 10mg.
Found that 21/22 nurses obeyed the doctor
Conclusion: nurses obeys authority figures in real life setting
L: Milgrams findings can be supported by real life situations.

Question 13

Evaluation of milgram:
Numerous ethical issues
(Choose one)

Answer 13

Deception: not a learning and memory study but obedience study
Had no right to withdraw: “you must continue”
However : deception was necessary otherwise low internal validity
No right to withdraw : but 35% refused to carry on

Question 14

Milgrams Situational variations:

Answer 14

Power of uniform
Location
Proximity

Question 15

What is a situational variable?

Answer 15

where features of an environment affect levels of obedience.

Question 16

Milgrams Situational variations
Proximity
Original study:
Variation:

Answer 16

Physical distance of authority figure and teacher
Original study: different rooms
Variation:
same room: 65% to 40%
Teachers forces hand on plate to give electric schlock: 65% to 30%

Question 17

Milgrams Situational variations
Location
Original study:
Variation:

Answer 17

The place order is being given by authority figure

Yale(prestigious): 65%
Run down inner-city office: 47.5%

Question 18

Milgrams Situational variations
Uniform
Original study:
Variation:

Answer 18

Outfit symbolises authority

Original: lab coat 65%
‘Ordinary Member of public’ outfit : 20%

Bickman 3 confederates
1 security guards uniform
1 milkman and
1 man in a jacket and tie.
They each asked members of the public to pick up a piece of litter. It
twice as likely to obey the security guard than jacket and tie

so supports power of uniform as a variable affecting obedience to authority.