Milgram

• Obedience


  A form of social influence in which an individual follows a direct order.
• Situational Hypothesis


  It is the situation someone is placed in which makes them obey and commit crimes.
• Dispositional Hypothesis


  A person's obedience depends on their personality rather than the situation they are in.
• Milgram's research supported the situational hypothesis and argued that anyone in these conditions would obey authority.
• Aim


  To find out whether ordinary Americans would obey unjust orders from a person in authority, to inflict pain on another person.
• Method

  1. Newspaper ad was put up and participants were told that they are there to take part in a study of learning and punishment

  2. Two conditions: teacher or learner, the participants were always the teacher

  3. The learner was always a confederate

  4. The teacher was given a list of "paired associates"

  5. Student (confederate) told to give incorrect answer

  6. The "teacher" was told to shock the learner when the learner gave an incorrect response

  7. All male Americans

  8. Done in Yale university

  9. Experimenter

  10. Real participant 'teacher'

  11. Fake participant 'student'

  12. Each switch was labeled with a voltage that ranged from 15 to 450 volts

  13. If the "teacher" objected to continuing the experiment, the experimenter would say one of the following: Please continue (or "Please go on"), The experiment requires that you continue, It is essential that you continue, You have no other choice; you must go on
• 65% of the subjects obeyed the experimenter and shocked the "learner" all the way to 450 volts. 100% went to 300 volts!!
• Milgram's research supported the situational hypothesis.
• GRAVE


  • G = Generalisability - can the findings of this research be applied to other populations (cultures, ages, genders) and still make sense?
  • R = Replicability - did the experimenter have control over their variables so that another experimenter doing the same experiment would get the same results? Did another study also find the same results?
  • A = Application - is the study useful to understanding a real-life event?
  • V = Validity - are the results valid and real or was it conducted in a lab setting?
  • E - Ethics - what ethical problems have not been considered, and why is that bad?
• What is obedience?

  Obedience is when you follow the order of an authority figure.
• What is conformity?

  Conformity is changing your behavior due to real or imagined peer pressure.
• What was the method used in the study?

  The method involved 40 males aged 20 to 45 at Yale University.
• What were the two conditions in the experiment?

  • Teacher (participant)
  • Learner (confederate)
• Who acted as the authority figure in the experiment?

  The experimenter acted as the authority figure.
• What task was the teacher given in the experiment?

  The teacher was given a list of paired associates.
• What voltage range was the teacher instructed to use?

  The voltage range was from 015 to 450 volts.
• What did the experimenter say when the teacher objected?

  The experimenter said, "It's essential that you continue."
• What emotional response did the teacher show during the experiment?

  The teacher showed signs of emotional distress.
• What percentage of teachers went to the maximum voltage of 450 volts?

  65% went to 450 volts.
• What was the percentage of teachers who continued to 300 volts?

  100% continued to 300 volts.
• What hypothesis did the results support?

  The results supported the situational hypothesis.
• What does the situational hypothesis suggest about obedience?

  It suggests that even a normal person can follow unjust orders.
• What situational variables were tested in the study?

  1. Location: 48% continued in a non-dain office in Bridgeport.
  2. Uniform:

  • Police: 72% obeyed
  • Executive: 47%
  • Beggar: 52%

  1. Proximity:

  • Touch: 38% (learner's hand on deck plate)
  • Phone: 21% (orders given over the phone)
  • Same room: 40% (experienced learner's anguish directly)
• What was the effect of location on obedience in the study?

  48% continued in a non-dain office in Bridgeport.
• How did the uniform of the authority figure affect obedience?

  Police uniform led to 72% obedience.
• What was the obedience percentage when the authority figure was in a beggar's uniform?

  52% obeyed when the authority figure was in a beggar's uniform.
• What was the effect of proximity on obedience when the learner's hand was on the deck plate?

  38% continued when the learner's hand was on the deck plate.
• What was the obedience percentage when orders were given over the phone?

  21% continued when orders were given over the phone.
• What was the obedience percentage when the teacher and learner were in the same room?

  40% continued when the teacher and learner were in the same room.
• What did Bickman's 1974 study demonstrate about the power of uniform?

  • People were more likely to pick up litter from a security person.
  • Demonstrated the influence of authority and uniform on behavior.
• What are some ethical considerations in the study of obedience?

  • Potential psychological distress to participants.
  • Informed consent issues.
  • Deception involved in the study.