Milgram's study

• Aim of Milgram's study

  • To see if people would obey an unreasonable order (deliver electric shocks)
• Method of Milgram's study (1)

  • 40 Males, aged 20-50
  • Teacher (Participant) paired with a learner (confederate)
• Method of Milgram's study (2)

  • Learner strapped in a chair and wired with electrodes
  • Teacher instructed by experimenter (lab coat) to give a shock to the learner when a mistake was made
  • Intensity increases from 15 to 450 volts
• Results of Milgram's study (1)

  • No participant stopped below 300 volts
  • 5 Participants stopped at 300 when learner pounded on wall
• Results of Milgram's study (2)

  • 65% Continued to 450 Volts
  • Participants showed extreme tension
• Conclusion of Milgram's study

  • Obedience has little to do with disposition
  • Factors made it difficult to disobey (Authority figure, prestigious university)
• Evaluation of Milgram's study (1)

  • Participants may not have believed that the shocks were real
  • Milgram's participants voiced suspicions
  • Suggests Milgram's participants went along with the study but didn't really obey
• Evaluation of Milgram's study (2)

  • Other studies have found similar obedience levels
  • Sheridan and King - 100% of females followed orders to give a fatal shock to a puppy
  • Suggests Milgram's results were not faked
• Evaluation of Milgram's study (3)

  • Milgram's participants experienced considerable distress
  • Could have caused psychological damage to participants
  • Ethical issues question whether his research should have happened