Milgram’s Yale experiment

• Milgram conducted a study to investigate why Germans followed Hitler's orders
• Male American participants were recruited through a newspaper advertisement for a study at Yale University
• Participants were paired with actors, where the actor was attached to electrodes
• In another room, participants were presented with a shock generator and switches ranging from 15-450V
• Participants were informed that the actor had learned a list of paired words and if they made a mistake, they were instructed to administer a shock
• If participants refused to administer the shock, the researcher used 4 prompts to encourage them to continue: “Please continue”, “The experiment requires you to continue“, “It is absolutely essential you continue”, “You have no other choice but to continue“.
• 65% of participants continued to administer shocks up to 450V
• All participants continued to administer shocks up to at least 300V
• Milgram didn’t tell participants the aim of the study or the fact that roles were rigged, but he gave them a debrief after the experiment.
• A French show replicated the study and 80% continued to 450V, which supports Milgram’s findings.