AO3

• One weakness of milgram's study is its Low in ecological Validity

  • TIB the setting was  highly artificial 
  • = study took place in a lab at Yale University
  • ALSO the task was unrealistic 
  • = not normal to be ordered to hurt another person when they get some Qs wrong
  • = Lacks mundane realism

  THEREFORE its difficult to generalise M's findings to explain obedience in real life  

  BECAUSE in a natural setting with a more realistic task people may have behaved differently giving a different conclusion about how obedient we are
• However, a strength of milgram's study is its High in internal validity

  • TIB it was a highly controlled lab experiment 
  • = there were limited extraneous variables
  • ALSO it allowed to repeat study with lots of different conditions
  • = could accurately measure the variables that affect obedience

  THEREFORE M’s study is highly valid & reliable

  BECAUSE of the high level of control and repetition
• However critics have questioned its internal validity

  • Orne & Holland argued that Ps knew the shocks weren’t real
  • = were just responding to demand characteristics
  • = meaning that milgram was not getting an accurate measures of obedience 
  • HOWEVER observations of Ps suggest they did think the shock was real
  • = some showed high levels of distress
  • E.g. nervous laughter, lip biting and shaking 

  THEREFORE this suggests that Milgram was getting an accurate measure of obedienceBECAUSE Ps showed signs of distress, suggesting they weren’t responding to demand characteristics
•  

  HOWEVER many argued that the importance of M’s study far outweighs any short-term harm caused to Ps

  His study has huge practical application

  • = can be used to explain the Holocaust  
  • When nazi soldiers were put on trial, every single one said they were “simply obeying orders”
  • M’s study showed that this is possible
  • & that people will harm others if told to do so by an authority figure

  THEREFORE even though there were major ethical issues with m study, 

  = it is a crucial part of explaining recent and historical events where humans have acted against humanity.