psychology core studies

• Who was Stanley Milgram?

  He was a psychology professor at Yale University during the 1960s.
• What was Milgram's area of interest that influenced his research?

  He was particularly interested in the Holocaust and the behavior of Nazi soldiers.
• What did Milgram want to understand through his research?

  He wanted to understand why and how Nazi soldiers committed atrocities during the Holocaust.
• What common defense did Nazi defendants use at the Nuremberg Trials?

  They claimed they were merely following orders from superiors.
• What theory did Milgram propose regarding obedience?

  He theorized that the Holocaust was a result of a cascade of obedience within the Nazi hierarchy.
• What was the aim of Milgram's experiment?

  To investigate the extent of obedience when participants were instructed to administer electric shocks.
• What was the sample used in Milgram's study?

  It consisted of 40 male participants aged 20 to 50 from various occupations and educational backgrounds.
• Why did Milgram exclude students from his study?

  He concluded that there was something fundamentally different about students compared to other types of people.
• What design did Milgram's study use?

  It used an independent measures design with no control group.
• What type of data did Milgram collect in his study?

  He collected both quantitative data (shock levels) and qualitative data (participant comments).
• What was the initial explanation given to participants about the study?

  Participants were told it was a study about learning and memory, which was a lie.
• What role did the Confederate play in Milgram's experiment?

  The Confederate pretended to be another participant but was actually aware of the true nature of the experiment.
• How were roles assigned to participants in the study?

  Roles were fixed so that the participant was always the teacher and the Confederate was always the learner.
• What did the learner mention before the experiment began?

  The learner mentioned that they had a heart condition.
• What was the teacher's job in the experiment?

  The teacher's job was to test the learner by asking them to recall word pairs.
• What was the purpose of the electric shock generator in the study?

  It was used to administer shocks to the learner for incorrect answers, although it was not real.
• How did the shock generator enhance the impression of reality?

  It created realistic electrical sounds when the shock button was pressed.
• What voltage increments were participants instructed to use when administering shocks?

  Participants were instructed to increase the shock voltage by 15-volt intervals.
• What was the maximum voltage that participants could administer?

  The maximum voltage was 450 volts.
• What labels were placed next to the shock intervals?

  Labels indicated the severity of the shocks, ranging from slight shock to danger severe shock.
• What was the purpose of giving participants a real shock of 45 volts before the experiment began?

  It was intended to prove to them that the shock generator was real.
• What happened when the participant began administering shocks?

  The participant shocked the learner every time they gave a wrong response, increasing the voltage as instructed.
• What did the learner do when 300 volts were reached?

  The learner was heard banging on the wall and screaming in agony.
• What did the researcher tell the participant if they refused to continue administering shocks?

  The researcher used verbal prods to encourage the participant to continue.
• How many verbal prods did the researcher have to encourage participants to continue?

  There were four verbal prods used in sequence.
• What happened if a participant refused to obey after the fourth prod?

  The experiment was terminated if the participant still refused to continue.
• What was the outcome for participants who reached 450 volts?

  The study ended, and they were debriefed about the true nature of the experiment.
• What did Milgram do after the study ended?

  He debriefed participants and arranged a friendly reconciliation with the learner.
• What did Milgram ask 14 senior psychology majors to predict?

  He asked them to predict the outcome of the study regarding obedience levels.
• What was the prediction made by the psychology majors about participants administering shocks?

  They predicted that only an insignificant minority would administer shocks up to 450 volts.
• What was the actual percentage of participants who administered the maximum shock of 450 volts?

  65% of participants continued to the highest level of 450 volts.
• What percentage of participants continued to 300 volts?

  100% of participants continued up to 300 volts.
• How many participants refused to obey beyond 300 volts?

  Five participants refused to obey beyond 300 volts.
• What were some comments made by participants who defied the experiment?

  Comments included expressions of discomfort and moral conflict about the shocks.
• What physical symptoms did participants display during the experiment?

  Participants displayed symptoms like sweating, trembling, and nervous laughter.
• What was a concerning finding regarding some participants during the study?

  Three participants experienced full-blown uncontrollable seizures during the experiment.
• What was the main conclusion drawn from Milgram's experiment?

  Ordinary people are likely to follow orders even if it causes harm to others.
• What sampling method was used to recruit participants for the study?

  Volunteer sampling
• Where did the study take place?

  In a laboratory
• What were the two main dependent variables of the study?

  Participants' obedience/disobedience and scores on personality inventories