A03 Milgram

• Point: A strength is the replication of Milgram's findings in a French documentary about reality TV.

  Evidence: Beauvois (2012) studied participants in a fake game show administering fake electric shocks, similar to Milgram's experiment.

  Explain: The results showed that 80% of participants delivered a maximum shock of 460 volts in front of an audience, with participants exhibiting similar signs of anxiety and obedience.

  Link: Therefore, this suggests that Milgram's findings were not just a one-off as they were replicated beyond the specific experimental conditions.
• P: A :( arises from doubts regarding whether Milgram's procedure effectively tested obedience.

  E: Orne & Holland (1968) => that participants may have been 'play-acting' due to scepticism about the authenticity of the shocks as only half believed they were real (from the tapes).

  E: This implies that demand characteristics, rather than genuine obedience, may have influenced participants' behaviours, casting doubt on the study's validity.

  L: Thus, this :( underscores the importance of considering participants' perceptions and the potential for demand characteristics in obedience research.
• Point: However, Sheridan and King (1972) conducted a study with real shocks, supporting the authenticity of Milgram's effects.

  Evidence: Despite distressing a puppy, participants still obeyed orders to administer what they believed to be fatal shocks.

  Explain: This indicates that obedience persisted even in the face of genuine harm, suggesting that Milgram's findings were not solely a product of experimental manipulation.

  Link: Hence, this evidence reinforces the notion that obedience observed in Milgram's study was genuine and not merely a response to demand characteristics.
• Point: Another limitation questions Milgram's conclusions about blind obedience.

  Evidence: Haslam (2014) showed that participants only stopped obeying at the final fourth prod (“You have no other choice, you must go on”)

  Explain: This aligns with social identity theory, suggesting that obedience depends on alignment with the study's goals rather than blind obedience to authority.

  Link: Therefore, this highlights the need to re-examine Milgram’s interpretations, considering factors like social identity rather than solely emphasising blind obedience.