Unit two - core studies Flashcards
What was the background to Milgram’s study?
Adolf Eichmann was on trial for crime during the holocaust and claimed he was simply a victim of an error of judgement and only guilty of obedience
This led people to think Germans had something different in their brain to blindly follow orders
What was the aim of Milgram’s study?
To investigate obedience by testing how far ordinary people would go in obeying an authoritative figure
How was the sample obtained in Milgram? What were they told about the study from this?
A self-selecting method was used - obtained through newspaper articles and posters
They were told they would be paid $4.50 for showing up and were told the study would be about memory and learning
What was the dependent variable and what was the research method in Milgram’s study?
DV = what voltage participants continued to
As there was no IV, it was a controlled observation
What happened in Milgram when the participant first walked in to take part?
Experimenter explained to the ‘victim’ and the participant that the purpose of the experiment was to investigate the effect of punishment on learning
They then drew a slip of paper to determine who would be the learner - fixed draw so this was always the confederate
What did the experimenter declare to the learner once strapped into the ‘electric chair’?
“Although shocks can be extremely painful, they cause no permanent tissue damage”
What voltage was the sample shock and why was this used?
45 volts - to convince participants of the authenticity of the generator
Describe the word pair task
The participant would read a series of words from a word par task over the intercom and the ‘learner’ was asked to identify the correct answer by pressing a switch
Answer correct = next question
Incorrect or no response = teacher would have to administer a shock, increasing by 15 volts each time
What 4 prompts would the teacher use?
- Please continue
- The experiment requires that you continue
- It is absolutely essential that you continue
- You have no choice. You must go on
When would Milgram’s experiment come to an end?
When 450 volts was reached, or when the participant withdrew/refused to continue
What were the quantitative results in Milgram’s study?
65% continued to 450 volts
No one dropped out before 300 volts
What were the other (qualitative) results in Milgram’s study?
Participants showed signs of extreme tension such as trembling, sweating and nervous laughter, with 3 having full blown, uncontrollable seizures
“I don’t think this is very humane….Oh I can’t go on with this”
What conclusions can be drawn from Milgram’s study?
- Inhumane acts can be done by ordinary people
- The presence of an authoritative figure can produce strong tendencies to obey
What reasons can be given as an explanation for the behaviour in Milgram’s study?
Yale University - prestigious setting and so participants more likely to believe nothing could go wrong
They were paid so may feel more obliged to continue
They were told there would be no permanent damage
Who did Milgram’s sample consist of?
40 males from the New Haven area, aged 20-50 and with a wide range of occupations
What was the context behind the study by Piliavin et al?
Following the Kitty Genovese case, social psychologists began investigating why people fail to help someone in need
Darley and Latane set up an experiment where participants heard someone having an epileptic seizure over an intercom and 85% reported whilst alone but only 31% when 4 others were present
What were the aims in Piliavin’s study?
- Would it make a difference if the victim was drunk or ill?
- Would the victim’s race make a difference?
- Would having a ‘model helper’ affect people’s reactions?
- Would the number of witnesses affect how many people helped?
What did the sample in Piliavin consist of? How many trials were conducted?
Passengers on the train in New York
Over 103 trials (6-8 per team on a given day), observers recorded around 4450 men and women in the carriage where the emergency was stages
Racial composition 45% black, 55% white
What were the independent and dependent variables in Piliavin?
IV - Victim conditions: black/white, drunk/cane
Model conditions: critical/adjacent area, 70 or 150 seconds after (latency period)
DV: race, sex and location of every passenger in the carriage
Describe the procedure in Piliavin’s study?
- A journey where there would be 7.5 minutes with a captive audience
- On weekdays, 4 teams of 4 students (victim, model and 2 observers) would board the trains
- Around 70 seconds into the journey, victim would stagger forward and collapse, remaining laying on the floor looking up at the ceiling until he received help
What were the quantitative results in Piliavin et al?
cane, drunk, time taken, gender, race, how many helpers
Help given on 62/65 cane trials but only 19/38 drunk trials
Help was given quicker to the cane victim (5 v 109 seconds)
90% of first helpers were male
Race didn’t make a significant difference
On 60% of the trials where help was given, 2+ people helped
What were the qualitative results in Piliavin et al?
Most comments were made by women and during the drunk condition
“It’s for men to help him”
“I wish I could help him…I’m not strong enough”
Explanation of the findings in Piliavin?
Passengers were trapped and couldn’t leave the situation easily and so it was less effort for them to help
Unlike in the Kitty Genovese case, it was clear what was happening
The arousal-cost-reward model in deciding whether or not to help
What was the context behind Bocchiaro’s study?
Ethical issues prevent psychologists from using Milgram’s procedure to continue research into obedience
Whilst we have important knowledge on the mechanisms of obedience, we have little knowledge of the nature of disobedience, such as who are people that disobey/whistle blow and why do they choose to take this path? Do they have characteristics different to those who obey?
