Milgram

• what was the aim of the study?

  To investigate whether people will obey legitimate authority figures even when required to injure another person
• Milgram recruited 40 male pts by using volunteer sampling in an advertisement. everyone was paid $4.50 even if they quit during study.
• There were two confederates, the experimenter and the 'learner'. He was told he must administer increasingly strong electric shocks every time pt got a question wrong. The machine was tested on pt to show him it worked.
• Milgram found 65% continued to highest level of 450 volts
• all pts continued to 300 volts
• five pts stopped at 300 volts
• pts showed signs of extreme tension e.g. sweating, trembling, stuttering
• three pts had full blown uncontrollable seizures
• Milgram concluded Americans were willing to obey even if they cause harm to another. however he suspected other factors in situation encouraged obedience and therefore decided to conduct further studies.