SI (Milgram Shock Study)

Question 1

What was the aim of Milgram’s 1963 study on obedience?

Answer 1

To investigate whether ordinary Americans would obey an unjust order from a person in authority

Question 2

How many volunteers participated in Milgram’s study?

Answer 2

40 volunteers

Question 3

What roles were assigned to the participants in Milgram’s study?

Answer 3

Teacher

Question 4

Where did Milgram’s study take place?

Answer 4

In a lab at Yale University

Question 5

What were participants told the study was about?

Answer 5

The role of punishment on learning

Question 6

What was the real aim of Milgram’s study?

Answer 6

To test obedience to authority

Question 7

What did the ‘teacher’ have to do in the experiment?

Answer 7

Test the ‘learner’ on their ability to remember word pairs

Question 8

What did participants believe they were administering to the learner?

Answer 8

Electric shocks

Question 9

What was the maximum voltage of the shocks administered in the study?

Answer 9

450 volts

Question 10

What was the reaction of participants when they had to administer shocks?

Answer 10

Many showed signs of extreme anxiety

Question 11

What percentage of participants administered the full 450 volts?

Answer 11

65%

Question 12

What were some signs of extreme tension observed in participants?

Answer 12

Sweating, trembling, digging nails into hands

Question 13

How did the experimenter encourage participants to continue administering shocks?

Answer 13

With prods such as ‘Please continue’ and ‘You have no other choice, you must go on’

Question 14

What significant event happened to three participants during the experiment?

Answer 14

They had full-blown uncontrollable seizures

Question 15

True or False: All participants administered shocks of at least 300 volts.

Answer 15

True

Question 16

Fill in the blank: Under certain circumstances, participants will obey an ________ figure, even when they feel uncomfortable doing so.

Answer 16

authority

Question 17

What type of data was collected alongside the quantitative results in Milgram’s study?

Answer 17

Qualitative data via observations

Question 18

What was the documentary that replicated Milgram’s findings?

Answer 18

Beauvois et al, 2012

The documentary focused on a game show where participants believed they were contestants and were paid to give fake electric shocks.

Question 19

In the documentary, what percentage of participants delivered the maximum shock of 460 volts?

Answer 19

80%

This was to an apparently unconscious man during the game show.

Question 20

What signs of anxiety were observed in the participants during the documentary?

Answer 20

Nervous laughter, nail-biting

These behaviors were similar to those observed in Milgram’s original study.

Question 21

What does the replication of Milgram’s findings in the documentary support?

Answer 21

The validity of Milgram’s original findings about obedience to authority

It demonstrates that the findings were not just due to special circumstances.

Question 22

What type of research method did Milgram use in his study?

Answer 22

Experimental method

This method allows for high control over extraneous variables.

Question 23

What is a strength of using the experimental method in Milgram’s study?

Answer 23

High control over extraneous variables

This allows the establishment of cause and effect.

Question 24

What does the independent variable (IV) refer to in Milgram’s study?

Answer 24

The presence of the researcher and the verbal prods he gave

These were factors manipulated to observe their effect on obedience.

Question 25

What is the dependent variable (DV) in Milgram's study?

Answer 25

The number of participants that gave the learner an electric shock of 450 volts ## Footnote This outcome was measured to assess obedience.

Question 26

Why is the high control in Milgram's study considered a strength?

Answer 26

It increases confidence that results about obedience are not affected by confounding variables ## Footnote This contributes to the internal validity of the study.

Question 27

What is a limitation of Milgram's research related to population validity?

Answer 27

The participants were all American males, which may not represent all people ## Footnote This limits the generalizability of the results to other demographics such as females or people from other countries.

Question 28

What historical context may affect the validity of Milgram's study?

Answer 28

The study was conducted during the Cold War, a time when people may have been more obedient and conformist ## Footnote This historical bias suggests that findings may not apply to contemporary society.

Question 29

What evidence suggests Milgram's study has historical validity?

Answer 29

Blass (1999) found no relationship between the year of obedience studies and levels of obedience; Burger (2009) found similar obedience levels to Milgram's study ## Footnote These findings indicate that Milgram's results are still relevant to recent situations.

Question 30

What is a limitation of Milgram's research regarding internal validity?

Answer 30

The procedure may not have tested what Milgram intended, as some participants may not have believed the shocks were real ## Footnote Orne and Holland (1968) argued participants were 'play acting', which affects the interpretation of obedience.

Question 31

Fill in the blank: A limitation of Milgram's research is that it has _______ validity.

Answer 31

low population

Question 32

True or False: Milgram's findings can be generalized to all people regardless of gender or nationality.

Answer 32

False

Question 33

What did Perry (2013) find about participants' beliefs regarding the shocks in Milgram's study?

Answer 33

Only about half believed the shocks were real, and two-thirds of these participants were disobedient ## Footnote This indicates that belief in the authenticity of the shocks influenced obedience.