milgram

• Milgram 1963 - findings

  study found 65% of participants were willing to deliver the maximum 450V shock when instructed by an authority figure

  collected qualitative data including observations like sweating, trembling and stuttering

  3 had seizures
• Nurses obeyed a doctor's order to give a double dose of an unfamiliar drug in Hofling 1966 field study
• Strengths of Milgram's Obedience Study

  • Good external validity - Milgram argued the lab-based relationship reflected real-life authority relationships
  • Replications have supported the research findings
• Limitations of Milgram's Obedience Study


  • Ethical issues - participants were subjected to psychological distress and harm
  • Validity could be questioned due to Milgram's internal role as the experimenter
• Participants


  • 40 male volunteers
• Milgram 1963 - findings


  • study found 65% of participants were willing to deliver the maximum 450V shock when instructed by an authority figure
  • collected qualitative data including observations like sweating, trembling and stuttering
  • 3 had seizures
• Psych student predictions


  14 students predicted no more than 3% would give the full shock
• Debrief and questionnaire


  In a follow-up questionnaire, 84% reported that they felt glad they participated – 74% felt they had learned something of personal importance
• Four standard prods:


  • Please continue
  • The experiment requires you to continue
  • you have no other choice, you must go on
  • It's absolutely essential you must continue
• Beauvois et al - French Documentary


  • The Game of Death - pilot episode
  • Paid to give maximum shock in front of live audience
  • same observations as milgram
• Orne + Holland - play-acting


  believed the pps knew the shocks were not real
• Perry - recordigns of milgran pps


  • 1/2 believed the shocks were real
  • 2/3 of believers were disobedient
• Sheradin + King - Puppies

  54% males and 100% females gave maximum shock

  puppies cannot fake their distress, pps knew this was real
• Haslam - EXP prods

  the prod: you have no other choice, you must continue resulting in disobedience in pps

  SIT: pps did not accept blind obedience only when they identified with study aims
• socially sensitive issue –

  • suggest that those who are responsible for killing innocent people can be excused - not their personality but the situation that they were in and the difficult of disobeying
  • Difficulties with the judicial system, where individuals are expected to take moral responsibility for their actions.