Procedure

• lab at Yale university
• on arrival, partic greeted by experimentor in white lab coat
• another partic already at the lab - 47yrs Mr Wallace
• Mr.W & experimenter accomplices of Milgram (called confederates)
• partic drew slip of paper to decide who would be 'teacher' and who would be 'learner'
• selection rigged - partic always 'teacher', Mr.W always 'learner'
• learner (confederate) & teacher (partic) taken to experimental room
• learner strapped into electrical chair
• electrode placed in learners wrist connected to shock generator in adjoining room
• The shock machine


  • teacher taken to adjoining room & seated in front of shock generator
  • large machine had 30 switches, increasing in voltage
  • range = 15volts - 450volts
  • every 4 switches labelled
  • 15-slight shock, 255-intense shock, 450-XXX,potentially fatal
  • experimenter gave teacher sample shock so teacher knew it was real
• The learning task

  • teacher told to administer electric shock when learner gave wrong answer to word pairs, voltage increase each time
  • learner told to make no protest until 300volts reached
  • at 300volts, learner told to pound wall, then make no further arguments
• Verbal prods


  • experimenter trained to give sequence of four standard 'prods' if teacher hesitated about delivering shocks or ask for guidance
  • 'please continue'
  • 'the experiment requires that you continue'
  • 'it is absolutely essential that you continue'
  • 'you have no choice, you must go on'
• The dehoax


  after research complete, the teacher was thoroughly debriefed & experimenter reunited with teacher & learner. teacher interviewed about experience afterwards