millgram

• What are the aims of Milgram's study of obedience?


  To discover whether ordinary people will obey legitimate authority even when required to injure another person.
• How may volunteers were recruited to take part in milligrams study? what is there gender?

  40 males
• what were the volunteers told the experiment was about?

  To study how punishment effects learning.
• where did they experiment take place and why?

  Yale university , to make the experiment seem legitimate.
• who much were volunteers paid? what were the conditions?

  Participants were paid £4.50 an hour and they would receive this even if they quit.
• Who was the learner and who was the teacher?

  Learner- 47 year old accountant (actor). The participant always drew out teacher as the decision was rigged.
• What did they have to do as a part of the experiment?

  The 'teacher' would read out a series of prepared paired words to the learner and the learner would have to repeat them back in the correct order. if they got it wrong the teacher would have to administer an electric shock. The voltage would increase each time.
• what happens if a participant no longer wants to take part in the experiment?

  if a participant no longer wants to take part in the experiment, they have the right to withdraw however , prods are used to encourage them to continue.
• what are the issues with this experiment?

  This experiment only used males, can cause mental distress, traumatic, goes against morals, the money they are receiving might be subjective- people might feel obligated to continue because they are getting paid - may not be truthful.
• Strengths of experiment?

  good for psychological research, experiment took place at Yale ( makes it seem legit), money- people are more likely to participate.
• Findings?

  before the study- psychology students predicted that fewer that 4% would take the voltage to the maximum. however 65% would continue to then max and only 5 participants (12.5%) stopped at 300volts.
• conclusion?

  ordinary people are extremely obedient to authority. even when asked to behave in a inhumane manner. its not necessarily evil people that commit evil crimes - its ordinary people that just obey orders.
• Crimes against humanity may be that outcome of situational (context) rather than dispositional (personality) factors.- crimes maybe caused by influence and authority rather than ones personality.
• Strengths?

  good for psychological research.
• Strengths?

  Took place at Yale university- make is seem more legitimate.
• Strengts?

  Money- people are more likely to take part as they are getting paid.
• weaknesses?

  only use males- this questions population validity- females might have different results, eg they could be more nurturing.
• Weaknesses?

  goes against the moral of the participants.
• Weaknesses?

  puts mental pressure and participants and can cause trauma- not ethical
• Weaknesses?

  Right to withdraw- people were not aware that they could leave as prods were used to encourage them to continue.
• Weaknesses?

  money can be subjective- people might feel obligated to continue as they are getting paid to results might not be reliable or truthful