Milgram - Social - Responses to people in authority

• What is the aim of Milgram?

  • To investigate how far people would go in obeying a legitimate authority figure‘s instruction if it involved harming another person
  • Milgram was interested in how easily ordinary people could be influenced into committing atrocities e.g. Germans under Nazi control
• What is the sample of Milgram?

  • 40 males aged between 20 and 50
  • New Haven USA
  • Jobs ranged from unskilled to professional
  • Self selected by newspaper and direct mail advertisement
  • Paid $4.50 for turning up
• What is the research method of Milgram?

  • Controlled observation in lab environment
  • Trial run (pilot test)
• Confederate was always fixed to be the learner
• Experimenter in a lab coat played by an actor, who was the legitimate authority figure
• Two rooms used with one for learner with the electric chair and other for experimenter and teacher with electric shock generator
• The learner (Mr Wallace) was strapped to the chair and had a list of words he had learned, and the teacher tested him on recalling its pair from 4 choices
• Teacher told to administer shock every time a mistake is made, increasing from a slight shock of 15V to a severe shock of 450V
• The learner (Mr Wallace) was strapped to the chair and had a list of words he had learned, and the teacher tested him on recalling its pair from 4 choices
• Teacher told to administer shock every time a mistake is made, increasing from a slight shock of 15V to a severe shock of 450V
• When teacher refused to administer a shock the experimenter gave prods to ensure they continued such as please continue and you have no other choice but to continue
• What are the findings of Milgram?

  • 65% continued to 450V
  • All ppts continued to 300V
  • Showed behaviour such as laughter, sweating and lip biting
  • 3 ppts had seizures
• What is the conclusion of Milgram?

  People will obey without limitations conscience when they believe an order comes form a legitimate authority figure

  Participants moved from an autonomous state to an agentic state caused by a situational factor of a white lab coat because the experimenter takes responsibility
• What is the background?

  • It was based on the Germanic hypothesis which was from the war and was proving that Germans did what they did because they were told to, not because they enjoyed inflicting pain. It was also based on other historical events and was proving that dispositional attribution is not correct and it is not based on a person’s characteristics