Contemporary Study (Burger 2009)

• Aim of the Burger Experiment

  Replicate Milgram’s classic 1963 experiment on situational factors and their effect on obedience levels in an ethical way. The aim was to test Milgram’s findings and to determine whether obedience levels have changed over time.
• Procedure of the Burger Experiment 


  The participants gave shocks for every wrong answer going up to 150V

  At 75V the “learner” started to audibly signal distress from the shocks and at the 150V the recording stated “Ugh. That’s all. get me out of here. I told you I had heart trouble. “My heart is starting to bother me now.”

  After the experimenter has used verbal prods the experiment ended. And the experiment also ended if the teacher read out the next instruction following the 150V shock.
• How were the participants gathered for the Burger experiment?

  • Volunteers gather by a newspaper online or by leaflets
  • Screening took place to see if the participants had studied psychology, went to university and to check their physical and psychological health. )Beck Anxiety Inventory). And they were interviewed by clinical psychologists - Unsuitable participants were removed
  • They were paid $50
  • The role of teacher was given to the participant and the role of teacher was given to the actor
• How many participants were used for the Burger experiment and were they from?

  70 participants aged 20-81 years, mixture of men and women from the USA
• Where did the Burger experiment take place? 


  Santa Clara University, California (lab experiment)
• Burger Moral refusal Procedure


  • two confederates instead of one - another confederate who posed as another participant.
  • It was rigid so the second confederate was teacher 1 and was the same gender as the real participant (teacher 2)

  Teacher 1 hesitated upon hearing the learner’s grunt at 75V. At 90V Teacher 1 stated “I don’t know about this.”

  Teacher 1 then refused and teacher 2 was then asked to take over and continue.
• What are the findings of the Burger experiment?


  • 70% of participants in the baseline were prepared to go past 150V compared to Milgram’s 82.5%
  • No gender difference in obedience
  • those who stopped at 150V or sooner had a significantly higher locus of control
• Burger - Moral Refusal results 


  • 63.3% were not significantly different from the base condition in continuing past 150V
  • Empathy did not make a significant difference to obedience