Milgrim's Baseline Study

• What were the aims of the study?

  To understand the behavior of those Germans who followed orders to kill 10 million people during the Holocaust, as there was a belief Germans were more obedient
• What sample did he recruit?

  He used a Volunteer Sample, consisting of 40 men aged 20 to 50 from New Haven (America). He recruited them from an advertisement in a newspaper, stating they would be paid $4.50 to participate
• What were participants told on arrival to the study?

  They could drop out and keep the money at any point of the study (Right to Withdraw)
• What was the participant introduced to?

  Two men:

  • One wearing a grey technician's coat (To administer authority)
  • The other pretending to be the other participant
• How was the roles of "Teacher" and "Learner" determined?

  Through a lottery administered by the man in the Technician's coat, however it was always the real participant that was the "Teacher" - The one who administered the shock (Deception)
• How was the participant convinced the machine that administered the shock was real?

  By giving them the only real shock (45 V)
• What happened after the participant was convinced they actually administering real shocks?

  They watched the "Learner" go into the other room and be connected to electrodes, before being closed off from them and only being able to ask them questions via an intercom
• What was the range of the "possible" electric shocks?

  15 V to 450 V
• How did the procedure work?

  • Every time the "Learner" failed a word recall task, the "Teacher" was instructed to administer a shock, going up each time gradually
  • Every time the "Teacher" was hesitant on administering a shock, the man of legitimate authority went down a list of 4 "Verbal Prods"
• What were the 4 "Verbal Prods"?

  1. Please continue/go on
  2. The experiment requires you to continue
  3. It is absolutely essential that you continue
  4. You have no other choice, you must go on

  After the fourth "Verbal Prod" is stated, the Administrator must record the participant went to the max voltage (450 V)
• What happened after the procedure?

  Post-study interviews were provided to collect further qualitative data (Adequate Debrief?)
• What were the findings of the study?

  • 65% administered the 450 V shock
  • 100% reached 300 V, although 12.5% then stopped after that
  • 35% exhibited nervous laughter
  • Participants were observed to have been trembling, sweating, biting their lips and digging their fingernails into their skin
  • 3 participants had full-blown uncontrollable seizures