Exam 2 (Milgram’s Experiments on Obedience & the Stanford Prison Experiment)

Milgram's study

Participants ("teachers") were asked to deliver electric shocks of increasing intensity to a "learner" (confederate) when they made mistakes on a word memory task. Shocks ranged from 15 to 450 volts (no real shocks given). Despite learner's protests and apparent pain, many participants obeyed the experimenter's commands to continue.

basic paradigm

Participants ("teachers") were asked to deliver electric shocks of increasing intensity to a "learner" (confederate) when they made mistakes on a word memory task. Shocks ranged from 15 to 450 volts (no real shocks given). Despite learner's protests and apparent pain, many participants obeyed the experimenter's commands to continue.

variations and how they affect conformity

Changing proximity to learner affected obedience (closer learner = less obedience).

• Presence or absence of experimenter and their authority affected obedience.

• Location mattered: obedience dropped in an office building compared to a lab.

• Presence of rebel confederates lowered obedience.

• Gender of experimenter had no effect.

connection to history

The experiment explained how ordinary people could commit harmful acts (like during the Holocaust) by obeying authority blindly. Showed the "banality of evil" — evil acts can happen through obedience, not malice.

Stanford Prison Experiment

Philip Zimbardo's study of the effect of roles on behavior. Participants were randomly assigned to play either prisoners or guards in a mock prison. The study was ended early because of the "guards'" role-induced cruelty.

classic interpretation (social roles)

Participants randomly assigned as guards or prisoners quickly adopted these roles. Guards became abusive, prisoners submissive or rebellious. The study showed how powerful social roles and expectations shape behavior and identity.

contemporary interpretation (identity leadership)

Leadership and instructions played a role: experimenters encouraged guards to enforce rules and use power to maintain control. The guards' behavior was influenced by how leadership framed their roles and goals, not just social roles alone.

BBC TV show

A modern recreation showed guards feeling uncomfortable with power, prisoners revolting and living as equals. A charismatic prisoner planned a revolt that was stopped by producers to avoid emotional harm — highlighting ethical concerns in these studies.

Tankard & Paluck 2017

Look at notes