obedience: milgram's variations

Question 1

How does the aim differ from the original in the ‘ordinary man gives orders’ variation?

(expt 13)

Answer 1

To investigate the impact on obedience when the authority of the experimenter was removed by presenting him as an ordinary person (with no lab coat).

Question 2

What was the sample of the ordinary man variation?

Answer 2

20

Question 3

Briefly describe the procedure of the ordinary man variation.

Answer 3

• There is a teacher and learner (the first confederate) as in the original but the experimenter does not tell the teacher to increase the voltage
• A rigged phone call then calls the experimenter away and he acts eager to leave but tells the others to continue
• The confederate timing things then announces he has a good idea, to increase the level of shocks by 15V for every wrong answer

Question 4

What were the results of the ordinary man and experiment 13a variation?

Answer 4

16/20 left the experiment (80%)

Question 5

What can we conclude from the ordinary man variation?

Answer 5

When the authority figure is taken away, people are more likely to disobey (especially if the person isn’t legitimate in power).

Question 6

How does the aim differ from the original in the ‘telephonic instructions’ variation?

(expt 10)

Answer 6

To investigate level of obedience when the experimenter isn’t present due to giving instructions over a phone.

Question 7

What was the sample of the telephonic instructions variation?

Answer 7

40 males

Question 8

Briefly describe the procedure of the telephonic instructions variation.

Answer 8

• After giving the initial instructions of the original experiment, they left and gave the rest of the instructions over the phone
• only reappeared when ppts disobeyed

Question 9

What were the results of the telephonic instructions variation?

Answer 9

22.5% continued to 450V
- some lied about shock level

Question 10

What can we conclude from the telephonic instructions variation?

Answer 10

Lower obedience levels due to lack of experimenter and so stress/pressure from being watched.

Question 11

How does the aim differ from the original in the ‘run down office block’ variation?

(expt 7)

Answer 11

To investigate level of obedience in relation to the setting that the orders from authority are being given.

Question 12

What was the sample of the office block variation?

Answer 12

40 males

Question 13

Briefly describe the procedure of the office block variation.

Answer 13

The procedure that was carried out in the original study was replicated exactly.

Question 14

What were the results of the office block variation?

Answer 14

47.5% continued to 450V
2 ppts refused lowest shock

Question 15

What can we conclude from the office block variation?

Answer 15

• The environment that an individual is in affects their level of obedience
• More prestigious settings are considered ‘safer’ to the ppts and so they are more likely to obey

Question 16

Why did Milgram carry out the other variations of his experiment?

Answer 16

Milgram wanted to test whether situational factors are more important than dispositional in regards to the level of obedience.