Milgram

    Cards (11)

    • Background: Agency theory and germans are different
    • Aim: investigate what level of obedience would be shown when ppts were told by authority figure to administer electric shocks
    • sample: 40 males, 20-50, newhaven usa
    • sampling method: volunteer, advert - 1st fake aim!! said they were going to be doing a study about memory at yale
    • predictions: 14 yale students prior to study asked to predict behaviour of 100 hypothetical ppts - 1.2% (mean) would go to end.
    • research method: controlled observation
    • iv and dv: no iv, dv = obedience and likelihood of admitting electric shocks and to what level
    • Procedure
      1. Arrive and told second aim - doing a study about memory and punishment
      2. Rigged draw where participant was always teacher and Mr Wallace was always learner
      3. Teacher given 45v shock and asked to read a series of word pairs to learner
      4. Learner presses lights - correct = move on, incorrect = shock, goes up by 15v
      5. Looks real with generator having lights etc
      6. 300v - learner pounds on wall, 315v - pounds on wall, silent and then stops pressing buttons
      7. If teacher asked for advice: standardised prods given such as "please continue" "you have no choice"
      8. Continue up till participant disobeys (refuses) or until go up to 450v (obey)
    • quant results: 100% = 300v, 5 refused after 300v, 26/40 went to 40v (65%), dropped out at diff points - ind differences ?
    • qual results - sighs of relief, nervous - sweating etc, 3/40 had seizures
    • conclusions: inhumane acts can be done by ordinary people, people will obey legitimate figures even if it goes against morals, ind differences such as personality influence the extent to which people obey
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