Social Psych: Milgram Flashcards
(20 cards)
Define obedience
Compliance with order, submission to another’s authority
Define destructive obedience
Compliance with direct/indirect orders of social, military or moral authority that results in negative outcomes
Define the agentic state
Psychological condition when an individual feels compelled to obey the orders issued by higher authority
What was the background to milgram’s study?
-wanted to investigate whether Germans were particularly obedient due to the events of the holocaust
-trial of Adolf Eichmann, claimed his actions in the holocaust were down to the orders he was given and not him
-interested in how the agentic state can account for many horrific acts committed in the name of obedience
What were milgram’s motivations for his study? (4)
-to see if people would follow an authoritative figure’s orders even if it meant harming another
-had a Jewish background
-did previous work looking at cross-cultural differences in conformity
-trial of adolf eichmann
Summary of milgram’s procedure
-40 participants
- told it was a study into memory and learning
-roles: participant=teacher, actor=student
-task: teacher was given word pairs and student had to memorise, wrong answer led to an electric shock
- shock machine was labelled “slight shock” to “dangerous”
-there were no real shocks, actors would pretend to be hurt
- experimenter would use verbal prods to encourage the ppt to continue eg: “it is critical that you continue”
What were the results of the study?
- 100% of the ppts gave shocks up to 300 volts
- 65% of the ppts gave shocks up to the full 450 volts
-was predicted by psychology students that 0-3% of ppts would go the full way
-ppts showed signs of distress; sweating, panicked speaking, hesitation, stuttering
-3 participants had panic attacks
What were 3 of milgram’s explainations as to why people obeyed?
- subjects were told people would not experience any permanent harm
-subjects were unlike to have experienced a social situation like this one before
-there was no obvious stopping point
What was milgram’s aim with this study?
To investigate the process of obedience and to demonstrate the power of a legitimate even when the command requires destructive behaviour?
What was milgram’s unpublished aim?
To investigate the “Germans are different” hypothesis, to see if nazi obedience can be explained by Germans nature
What were the research methods used?
-laboratory environment at Yale university, controlled conditions,
-data gathered through observation and tape recordings
5 facts about the sample
-asked for 500 men
-all from the New Haven area with a range of occupations
-paid $4.50 an hour
-men ages 20-50
-volunteer sample
Conclusion of milgram’s study
-ordinary people are surprisingly obedient to authority and obey direct orders even if it goes against moral beliefs
-most people find obeying highly stressful
-individual characteristics influence the extent to which people will obey
Why may milgram’s study be socially sensitive?
-showed that anyone could go against their morals when given orders from an authority figure
-mentally stressful
-could discriminate against Germans
-lowers psychology’s reputation
Why is milgram’s study ethnocentric?
-sample is only men who were all white, American and from New Haven, doesn’t factor in an cultural differences
How could milgram’s study be used to help people?
-discredits stereotypes of Germans being different and more highly obedient
-shows that people are more likely to be influenced by the social situation rather than their individual characteristics
Does milgram’s study take the free will or deterministic stance?
Deterministic, shows that human behaviour is determined from external factors or orders (environmental determinism)
Does milgram’s study take the reductionist or holistic stance?
Reductionist, says the only explanation for human behaviour is the influence of an authoritative figure
Does milgram’s study take the nature or nurture stance?
Nature, suggests that hymns behave in natural instinct, following orders to survive?
Does milgram’s study take the individual or situational stance?
Both, however says that environment has more of an influence
