obedience: milgrams

• MILGRAMS STUDY-

  - research on obedience to authority figures

  - leaners were strapped to a chair, wired with electrodes

  - teachers gave learners an increased shock every time they made a mistake

  - teachers weren't told the shocks were fake, or that mr Wallace was a confederate

  LIMITATIONS-

  - lacked external validity, 70% believed shocks were genuine

  - ethical issues, participants were deceived as they thought roles were randomly assigned when they weren't.

  STRENGTHS-

  - replications have supported this study

  - social identity theory (sit), is an alternative explantation to milligrams.
• How many participants were there in milgrams study?

  How old were they?

  40 male volunteers aged 20-50 years.
• How much were they paid in milgrams study for participating

  $4.50 paid for participation.
• Shock Generator- milgrams


  Device used to administer increasing shocks.
• What shock level did it start at and increase to?- milgrams

  Started at 15V, increased to 450V.
• Learner's Response- milgrams


  Learner pretended to experience pain.
• Standard Prompts- milgrams


  Four prompts to encourage continuation.
• Obedience Rate in milgrams?

  give a % and the voltage.

  65% of participants reached 450V.
• Qualitative Data- milgrams


  Participants showed signs of extreme tension.
• what were psychology students predictions, did this lead to expected or unexpected findings? milgrams

  Psychology students predicted 3% would continue, unexpected findings
• what happened during debriefing, milgrams


  Participants reassured about normal behavior.
• Deception- milgrams


  Participants had wrong idea about true nature of study.
• Situational Variables- milgrams


  Factors influencing obedience related to context.
• did obedience increase or decrease in location variation?

  milgrams


  Obedience decreased in run-down settings.
• what influence did uniform have on participants?

  milgrams

  Authority, symbolized by experimenter's lab coat.
• Replication Studies- milgrams


  Research replicated in various cultural contexts.
• Social Identity Theory- milgrams


  Participants identified experimenter as scientist.
• Ethical Concerns in milgrams

  Deception raised issues of participant trust.
• Limitations of Findings

  milgrams

  Results may excuse unethical behavior.
• Internal Validity

  milgrams


  Questioned due to potential participant awareness.
• Behavioral Responses

  milgrams


  Participants exhibited physical signs of distress, like biting lips, sweating, digging nails into skin.
• 84% were...

  glad they participated
• 74% felt they...

  learnt something of importance
• how many participants stopped below 300v

  none
• how many participants stopped at 300v

  5
• how many participants continued to 450v

  65%
• psychology students estimated what % of people would continue to 450v?

  3%
• in proximity variation, when in same room what was the obedience %?

  65-40%
• in proximity variation, when in touching distance what was the obedience %?

  dropped to 30%
• in proximity variation, when over the phone what was the obedience %?

  20.5%
• in location variation, did obedience rise or drop when relocated from the university to a run down building?

  dropped.

  47%
• in the uniform variation, did obedience rise or drop when wearing normal clothes from a lab coat?

  yes, dropped to 20% in normal clothes

  shows that uniform has an effect