Social (CLASSIC) - responses to people in authority - MILGRAM Flashcards
(44 cards)
classic study and year
Milgram (1963)
social principles
- social environment around us influences our behavior and thought processes
- our relationships with others in society influence our behavior and thought processes
define agentic state
a psychological phenomenon in which an individual gives up their autonomy and moral responsibility to an authority figure. In this state, the individual perceives themselves as an agent of the authority figure and is willing to carry out their commands, even if it goes against their own moral code
define the ‘germans are different’ theory
aim of study
investigate process of obedience by testing how far an individual will go in obeying an authority figure, even when the command breaches the moral code that an individual should not hurt another person against his will
what did participants believe they were doing in Milgram’s study
memory test
sample in Milgram’s study and how were they chosen
40 males aged between 20-50 years from New Haven, USA from a range of occupations
responded to a newspaper advert to volunteer for a study on memory and learning at Yale university
what happened when the participants first entered the study
they were met by a stern looking experimenter in a white lab coat called Jack Williams and told they would be involved in a study into the effect of punishment on learning
what happened when the participants began the study
the 40 participants were always given the role of ‘teacher’ through a fixed lottery and the ‘learner’ was played by the same confederate each time by a man known as ‘Mr Wallace’. The ‘learner was strapped to a chair with non active electrodes strapped to his arms. The ‘teachers’ were given a trial shock of 45 volts to stimulate genuineness
who was Mr Wallace
confederate who payed the role of the ‘learner’ and was said to be mild mannered
what happened when everything was set up ready
the ‘teacher’ sat in front of an electric shock generator in an adjacent room. He had to conduct a paired word test on the learner and give him an electric shock of increasing intensity for every wrong answer
describe the generator
machine had 30 switches ranging from 15-450 volts in15 volt increments
how did the ‘learner’ standardize his responses
the learner produced via a tape recording a set of predetermined responses giving approximately 3 wrong answers to every correct one
what happened at 300 volts
he pounded on the wall
what happened at 315 volts
pounding is repeated and afterwards he goes silent nor does his answers reappear on the four way signal box
what were the standardize prods
if the ‘teacher’ turned to the experimenter who was also a confederate for advice on whether to proceed the experimenter responded with a series of standardized prods
1. ‘please continue’ or ‘please go on’
2. ‘the experiment requires that you continue’
3. ‘it is absolutely that you continue’
4. ‘you have no other choice; you must go on’
what happened as soon as the study finished
the participants were fully debriefed and introduced to the ‘learner’ and the obedient ones were told that there behavior was normal.
what happened in the long term after the study
Milgram had independent psychiatrists interview the participants a year later, where no long term psychological effects were observed
results - quantitative
100% of participants (40/40) continued to 300 volts
65% (26/40) participants continued to the full 450 volts
results - qualitative
many participants showed signs of extreme stress whilst administrating the shocks e.g sweating, trembling, stuttering, laughing nervously. 3 had uncontrollable seizures. On completion of the test, many obedient participants heaved sighs of relief, mopped theor brows and nervously fumbled for cigarettes. Some shook their heads apparently in regret however some remained calm throughout
what did Milgram conclude about the ‘Germans are different theory’
that it was false. Milgram’s sample was 40 ordinary Americans with high levels of obedience showing that people obey those seen as authority figures. If we were to live in 1930s Germany, we have been just as obedient
possible explanations for the high levels of obedience
13 possible explanations were offered
1. study was carried out at a prestigious university of Yale influenced participants as to the worthiness of the study and the competence of the researcher
2. the participants were told the shocks were not harmful
3. situation was completely new for the participants so he had no past experience his behavior
results and conclusions
- 100% of participants administered a 300v shock to the learner SHOWS THAT inhumane acts can be done by ordinary people
- 65% of participants administered a 450v shock to the learner despite showing signs of visible distress e.g sweating SHOWS THAT people will obey others whom they consider legitimate autority figures even if they are asked to go against their moral beliefs
- participants showed visable signs of distress, such as sweating and trembling during the word pairs procedure which SHOWS THAT people obey certain situational features lead them to suspend their sense of autonomy and become an agent of an authority figure
describe the research method
controlled observation
no independent variable
the study took place in a laboratory at Yale uni so conditions could be controlled e.g who who the learner/teacher was and standardized prods
data was gathered through observations made by both the experimenter who was in the same room as the participant and others who observed the process through one way mirrors
most sessions were recorded on magnetic tape, occasional photos were taken through the one way mirrors and notes were made on unusual behaviors
