Milgram

What was the aim of Milgram’s study?

To measure how far participants would obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts that conflict with their personal morals.

What was the Research Method used in Milgram?

Laboratory experiment.

What was the experimental design of Milgram?

Independent measures design.

How many participants were there in Milgram’s study?

40 male participants, ranging from 20 to 50 years old.

How were Milgram’s participants obtained?

Self-selected sampling - newspaper advertisements.

Where were Milgram’s participants from?

New Haven.

How was the procedure of Milgram standardised?

A confederate participant, “Mr Wallace,” was used as the learner every time. He was assigned the role through a rigged draw.

What were participants originally told about the aim of this study?

The study intended to examine the effects of punishment on learning.

What was the dependent variable of Milgram’s study?

The amount of electricity administered to the learner by each participant (in volts).

What task was given to the learner by the teacher participant?

A word pair memorisation task. For each incorrect answer, an electric shock would be administered.

The voltage increased in increments of ____.

Fifteen.

How were participants deceived during the experiment?

The “electric shocks” that participants thought they were administering were not real. The confederate learner was an actor who made it seem like they were in pain following the shocks.

How was the experiment made believable to participants?

Each participant received a 45V electric shock to convince them that the shocks were genuine.

How were the learner’s responses standardised?

• For every 3 questions answered wrong, 1 question would be answered correct.

• The learner continued to give answers and make noises of pain up until the 300V shock.

What did the learner do at 75 volts?

Made the first audible grunts of pain.

What did the learner do at 120 volts?

The learner’s vocal protests became louder and more insistent.

What did the learner do at 150 volts?

The learner began to complain, specifically about having a heart condition.

What did the learner do at 300 volts?

The learner banged on the wall and ceased verbal responses.

What did the learner do at 330 volts?

The learner became silent, leaving the impression that they were unconscious or unresponsive.

What was the purpose of the experimenter?

The experimenter, “Mr William,” acted as the authority figure in the experiment. He wore a grey lab coat and had a stern manner to emphasise his importance.

What did the experimenter do during the experiment?

• The experimenter instructed participants to administer an electric shock every time the learner makes a mistake

• The experimenter challenged the teacher with a verbal prod when they refused to administer a shock, telling them to do so anyways. These prods were used in a standardised order across all participants.

What were the four prods used by the experimenter?

1. Please continue / please go on

2. The experiment requires you to continue

3. It is absolutely essential that you continue

4. You have no other choice but to continue

What was Milgram’s prediction of the results?

Milgram predicted that only 0.1% of his participants would administer maximum shocks. He expected most to refuse between 150 to 300 volts.

How many participants administered the maximum voltage (450V)?

65% (two thirds).

How many participants continued to at least 300 volts?

100%.

How many people disobeyed the experimenter?

14 defiant participants stopped before reaching the highest levels.

• 5 stopped at 300V

• 4 stopped at 315V

• 2 stopped at 330V

• 1 stopped at 345V

• 1 stopped at 360V

• 1 stopped at 375V

What signs of resistance and tension were seen throughout the experiment?

• Every participant questioned the procedure at some point, many pleaded to stop and offered to return their payment

• 14 out of 40 exhibited nervous laughter or smiling

• One participant experienced a seizure

• Observed behaviours include: sweating, trembling, stuttering, laughter, biting lips.