Milgrim (Obedience)

• Who designed the baseline procedure for assessing obedience levels in 1963?

  Stanley Milgram
• What was the main aim of Milgram's study?

  To assess obedience in a situation where an authority figure ordered a participant to give shocks to a learner.
• What was the setup of Milgram's baseline procedure?

  • 40 American men volunteered for a study on memory.
  • Participants were assigned roles of 'Teacher' and 'Learner'.
  • The 'Experimenter' was an authority figure.
  • The Teacher administered shocks to the Learner in 15-volt increments up to 450 volts.
• What percentage of participants stopped at 300 volts in Milgram's study?

  12.5%
• What were the signs of tension observed in participants during Milgram's study?

  Participants showed signs such as sweating, trembling, stuttering, and nail-biting.
• How many participants in Milgram's study experienced full-blown uncontrollable seizures?

  Three participants
• What did psychology students predict about the participants' behavior before Milgram's study?

  They estimated that no more than 3% would continue to 450 volts.
• What was the conclusion Milgram reached about German people based on his study?

  He concluded that German people are not inherently different in terms of obedience.
• What were the key findings from Milgram's baseline study?

  • 100% of participants delivered shocks up to 300 volts.
  • 65% continued to the maximum shock level of 450 volts.
  • Participants exhibited signs of extreme tension.
• What did Milgram do to ensure participants felt their behavior was normal after the study?

  All participants were debriefed and assured their behavior was entirely normal.
• What percentage of participants reported being glad to have participated in Milgram's study?

  84%
• What are some strengths and limitations of Milgram's research?

  Strengths:

  • Findings replicated in a French documentary.
  • Supports the idea of obedience to authority.

  
  

  Limitations:

  • Participants may have been 'play-acting'.
  • Low internal validity due to demand characteristics.
• What did the French documentary reveal about obedience in a game show context?

  80% of participants delivered the maximum shock of 460 volts to an apparently unconscious man.
• What did Martin Orne and Charles Holland argue about Milgram's participants?

  They argued that participants behaved as they did because they didn't believe in the setup and were 'play-acting'.
• What did Gina Perry's research suggest about participants' beliefs regarding the shocks?

  Only about half of the participants believed the shocks were real.
• What did Sheridan and King’s study demonstrate about obedience?

  54% of men and 100% of women gave what they thought was a fatal shock to a puppy.
• What does social identity theory (SIT) suggest about Milgram's findings?

  Participants obeyed when they identified with the scientific aims of the research.
• What are the implications of Milgram's study for understanding obedience?

  • Highlights the power of authority figures.
  • Suggests situational factors influence obedience.
  • Raises ethical concerns about participant distress.
• What was the method used to collect qualitative data in Milgram's study?

  Participants were interviewed to explain their experiences and feelings during the study.
• What was the main ethical concern raised by Milgram's study?

  Participants experienced extreme stress and tension during the experiment.
• How did Milgram's findings challenge previous assumptions about obedience?

  They showed that a significant number of people would obey authority figures even to the point of harming others.
• What did Milgram conclude about the nature of obedience based on his findings?

  He concluded that situational factors encourage obedience, not just personality traits.
• How did Milgram's study contribute to our understanding of human behavior in authority contexts?

  It demonstrated that ordinary people could commit harmful acts when instructed by an authority figure.