Participants drew lots for the role. Mr Wallace was always the ‘learner’ whilst the participant was the ‘teacher’.
An ‘experimenter’ wore a lab coat.
The teacher had to give the learner an increasing electric shock every time they got the question wrong (from 15V to 450V)
the shocks were fake but there were “reactions“
what happened if the teacher wished to stop”?
they were given a verbal prod from the experimenter to continue
What were the key findings of Milgrams experiment?
12.5% stopped at 300 volts
65% continues to 450 volts (highest level)
participants showed signs of extreme tension, three had seizures
what did the Psychology students predict would happen?
thought 3% would continue to 450 volts
what conclusions can be made from Milgrams experiment?
we obey legitimate authority even if it means out behaviour causes harm to someone else
strength of Milgrams study
replications have supported findings - french TV show replicated the study. 80% gave maximum voltage
limitations of Milgrams study
lacked internal validity - argued Ps guesses the electric shocks were fake so they were ‘play-acting’. Supported by research into Milgrams study that only half believed the shocks were real
Ethical Issues - participants were deceived and not protected from psychological harm. To deal with this the participants were debriefed