Studies of obedience

• What is obedience defined as in social influence?

  A type of social influence where someone acts in response to a direct order from authority.
• What was the aim of Milgram's study?

  To see if normal American people would follow destructive orders.
• What hypothesis did Milgram want to test in his study?

  The "Germans are different" hypothesis.
• What was the sample size and demographic of Milgram's study participants?

  • 40 male participants
  • Ages 20-50
  • Varied jobs
  • Volunteer sampling through newspaper adverts and flyers
• How much were participants paid to take part in Milgram's study?

  $4.50
• What was the nature of the draw to decide teacher and learner roles in Milgram's study?

  The draw was rigged, with the learner always being a confederate.
• What was the name of the confederate who acted as the learner in Milgram's study?

  Mr. Wallace
• What happened to the learner during the experiment?

  The learner was strapped into a chair in another room and believed to receive shocks.
• What were the voltage levels used in Milgram's study?

  Starting at 15 volts and increasing to 450 volts.
• What did the learner do at 300 volts during the experiment?

  The learner pounded on the wall and then went silent at 330 volts.
• What were the four prods used by the researcher when the teacher questioned continuing the experiment?

  1. Please continue
  2. The experiment requires you to continue
  3. It is essential you continue
  4. You have no other choice but to continue
• What percentage of participants stopped at 300 volts in Milgram's study?

  12.5% (5 participants)
• What percentage of participants continued to 450 volts in Milgram's study?

  65%
• What qualitative reactions were observed in participants during Milgram's study?

  • Sweating
  • Trembling
  • Stuttering
  • Biting lips
  • Groaning
  • Digging fingernails into hands
  • Three participants had seizures
• What conclusion did Milgram draw from his study regarding obedience?

  The powers of authority remain the same regardless of nationality.
• What did Milgram argue was the reason for obedience in his study?

  It is the situation that makes people obedient, not their personality.
• What is a criticism of Milgram's study regarding ecological validity?

  It was conducted in a lab setting, making it hard to apply to real life.
• What was the effect of proximity in Milgram's first variation?

  Obedience decreased to 40% when the learner was in the same room as the teacher.
• What was the effect of physically forcing the learner's hand onto the shock plate in Milgram's second variation?

  Obedience decreased to 30%.
• What was the effect of changing the experimenter to a person in ordinary clothes in Milgram's third variation?

  Obedience decreased to 20%.
• What was the effect of giving orders over the phone in Milgram's fourth variation?

  Obedience decreased to 20.5%.
• What was the effect of changing the location to a rundown office building in Milgram's fifth variation?

  Obedience decreased to 47.5%.
• What was the outcome of testing women in Milgram's study?

  There was no effect on obedience; it remained at 65%.
• What was the aim of Hofling's 1966 study?

  To see whether nurses would obey harmful orders from a doctor in a field experiment.
• What was the procedure in Hofling's study?

  Nurses were instructed to give a patient 20 mg of Astrogen over the phone from an unfamiliar doctor.
• What were the findings of Hofling's study?

  21 out of 22 nurses obeyed the order.
• What conclusion did Hofling draw from his study?

  It shows the power of a doctor's authority in a real-life study.
• What are the evaluations of Hofling's study?

  (+) No demand characteristics, high internal validity

  (+) High ecological validity, results can be generalized

  (-) Nurses were not allowed to confer; follow-up showed low obedience
• How does Milgram's study relate to Hofling's findings?

  High obedience was still found in a real-life situation, supporting Milgram's findings.
• What was the aim of Burger's 2010 study?

  To see if people would still obey authority in a replication of the Milgram paradigm.
• What did Milgram argue about the setting of his study?

  It was reflective of real life for the authority he created.
• What is a criticism of Milgram's study regarding population validity?

  It used only males, limiting generalizability to females.
• What are the applications of Milgram's findings?

  They can educate people about the harm of obeying certain orders.
• What is a potential issue with internal validity in Milgram's study?

  Participants might have realized the study was a setup and acted accordingly.
• What percentage of participants believed the shocks were fake in Milgram's study?

  Only 2.5% (1 participant) said they were sure.
• What ethical issue is associated with Milgram's study regarding psychological harm?

  Participants were exposed to severe stress, with some exhibiting extreme physical reactions.
• What was Milgram's counter-argument regarding psychological harm?

  Only 2% had regrets, and 74% learned something useful about themselves.
• What ethical issue is associated with the use of deception in Milgram's study?

  Participants were misled about the true nature of the study.
• What was Milgram's counter-argument regarding the use of deception?

  Deception was necessary for participants to behave realistically.
• What ethical issue is associated with informed consent in Milgram's study?

  Participants were not informed about the electric shocks until after agreeing to participate.