Milgram 1963

• Sample


  • Forty men aged 20 to 50 from a range of occupations volunteering to take part in a study of "learning and memory" at Yale University

  
• Research Method


  • Laboratory experiment - controlled observation
  • ALL variables can be controlled
  • Operationalised = maximum voltage given
• Procedure


  1. General intro from experimenter about punishment and learning

  2. Choice of who was to be 'teacher' and 'learner' by taking a slip of paper (but ppt was always teacher)

  3. Both teacher & learner taken to room next door. Learner strapped to a chair, and electrodes attached to his wrist

  4. Sample shock of 45 volts given to teacher, and further instructions confirmed legitimacy of the apparatus

  5. Teacher reads out word pairs, and learner responds with an answer by pressing a button so it was displayed on a screen in the teaching room

  6. If the learner is right → the next word pair is presented. If the learner is wrong → the teacher was to give an electric shock

  7. The stooge responded in a fixed way at each voltage level

  8. As the 'learning' progressed, the 15V shock increments increased

  9. If the teacher showed doubt or did not continue, the experimenter gave a 'prod' - an instruction to continue

  10. The study progressed with 'prods' until either the teacher pressed the 450V switch, or until the teacher refused to continue and tried to leave the room

  11. The ppt was then given an open-ended interview and a debriefing

  12. During the whole experiment, observations were made through a one-way mirror. Often, photographs and videos were taken
• Conclusion – The impact of situational factors
• Would we be any different now?
• Real-World Applications


  • My Lai
  • Srebrenica
  • Abu Ghraib Prison
• Ethics


  • Informed consent
  • Deception
  • Confidentiality
  • Right to withdraw
  • Protection from harm
  • Debrief
• Sample


  • Forty men aged 20 to 50 from a range of occupations volunteering to take part in a study of "learning and memory" at Yale University

  
• Research Method


  • Laboratory experiment - controlled observation
  • ALL variables can be controlled
  • Operationalised = maximum voltage given
• Procedure


  1. General intro from experimenter about punishment and learning

  2. Choice of who was to be 'teacher' and 'learner' by taking a slip of paper (but ppt was always teacher)

  3. Both teacher & learner taken to room next door. Learner strapped to a chair, and electrodes attached to his wrist

  4. Sample shock of 45 volts given to teacher, and further instructions confirmed legitimacy of the apparatus

  5. Teacher reads out word pairs, and learner responds with an answer by pressing a button so it was displayed on a screen in the teaching room

  6. If the learner is right → the next word pair is presented. If the learner is wrong → the teacher was to give an electric shock

  7. The stooge responded in a fixed way at each voltage level

  8. As the 'learning' progressed, the 15V shock increments increased

  9. If the teacher showed doubt or did not continue, the experimenter gave a 'prod' - an instruction to continue

  10. The study progressed with 'prods' until either the teacher pressed the 450V switch, or until the teacher refused to continue and tried to leave the room

  11. The ppt was then given an open-ended interview and a debriefing

  12. During the whole experiment, observations were made through a one-way mirror. Often, photographs and videos were taken
• Conclusion – The impact of situational factors
• Would we be any different now?
• Real-World Applications


  • My Lai
  • Srebrenica
  • Abu Ghraib Prison
• Ethics


  • Informed consent
  • Deception
  • Confidentiality
  • Right to withdraw
  • Protection from harm
  • Debrief