MILGRAM

• AIM:

  • To investigate why so many German people had followed the orders of Hitler and slaughtered over 10 million Jews 
• How many male participants were involved in the study?


  40 male participants
• How were the participants recruited for the study?


  They were recruited via newspaper adverts
• What incentive was offered to participants for taking part in the study?

  $4.50
• How was the role of 'teacher' and 'learner' determined in the study?


  By drawing lots
• Who was always the real participant in the study?

  The 'teacher'
• Who was always a confederate in the study?

  The 'learner'
• What was the setup for the 'learner' in the experiment?

  The learner was placed in a separate room and strapped to a chair with electrodes
• What was the task of the 'teacher' in the study?

  To give the learner an increasingly severe electric shock for each mistake
• What was the starting voltage of the electric shock?


  15V ('slight shock')
• What was the maximum voltage of the electric shock in the study?


  450V ('danger = severe shock')
• What happened at 300V during the experiment?


  The learner pounded on the wall
• What occurred after 315V was administered to the learner?


  The learner gave no response
• What were the four standardised prods used in the experiment to encourage the teacher to continue?


  1. "Please continue"
  2. "The experiment requires that you continue"
  3. "It is absolutely essential that you continue"
  4. "You have no other choice, you must go on"
• RESULTS:

  • All participants shocked up to 300V
  • 12.5% stopped at 300V
  • 65% continued to the highest level of 450V
  • Some participants were seen to sweat; tremble and shake with the stress some even had seizures
  • At the end of the experiment participants were debriefed
• CONCLUSION:

  • Ordinary people are likely to follow orders given by an authority figure, even to the extent of killing an innocent human being.