Milgram

• Research into obedience - milgram

  Aim:

  • Milgram set out to investigate whether ordinary people will obey a legitimate authority even when required to injure another person – i.e. obedience to an unjust authority.
• procedure: • Milgram recruited 40 male participants for a study at Yale University.

  • Participants received $4.50 for participation.

  • Two confederates: an 'experimenter' and a 'learner'.

  • The 'teacher' administered electric shocks to the learner, who gave incorrect answers.

  • The learner was wired to a fake shock generator.

  • If the teacher stopped, the 'experimenter' instructed the participant to continue.
• Milgram - findings

  • 65% of participants ‘shocked’ the learner up to the maximum 450 voltage which was marked ‘danger severe shock’ and would almost certainly kill them.
  • All participants continued shocking up to 300 volts, when the learner first fell silent. 
  • Only 5 (12.5%) stopped there.
• Milgram - conclusions:

  • The findings suggest that ordinary people are astonishingly obedient to authority – even when asked to act immorally.
  • This suggests it is not ‘evil’ people who commit evil crimes, but ordinary people who are obeying orders. For example, the torture of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
• • limitation - Lack of internal validity.

  • Participants' behavior influenced by misunderstanding of electric shocks.

  • Participants believed shocks were fake.

  • Participants disobeyed, giving low-intensity shocks.

  • Suggests obedience rates may not be genuine due to participants' belief they weren't hurting anyone.
• Limitation - Mandel (1998) Criticises Milgram's Research for not being applicable to real life events

  • Milgram's theory suggests close proximity to victims increases defiance.

  • Despite proximity, most soldiers carried out orders without protest, indicating inapplicability.
• Milgram's Study Criticism

  • Overstates gender differences in obedience due to exclusion of females.

  • Replicated study found identical obedience rates with females.

  • No gender difference in obedience rates found in 8 out of 9 replications.

  • Suggests gender differences did not impact obedience levels.
• Milgram's Study Limitations - ethical issues

  • Deception: Misled participants about punishment's effect on learning.

  • Informed Consent: Prevents informed consent.

  • Right to Withdraw: Difficulty due to experimenter's drugs.

  • Psychological/Physical Harm: Shock distress for some participants.

  • Three participants had seizures.