Obedience

Who was the key psychologist for obedience?

Milgram

How many participants were there for Milgram’s obedience study? What gender? What nationality?

40 American male pps

What did the pps believe the study was about?

A study of memory

How were the pps given their role?

Drew lots

A confederate was always…

The Learner

The true participant was always…

The Teacher

Who would be the Experimenter?

Another confederate

Could the teacher hear or see the learner?

The teacher could hear but not see the learner

Describe Milgrams obedience study

The teacher had to give the learner an increasingly severe electric ‘ shock’ each time he made a mistake on the task

If the teacher wanted to stop the experimenter gave a verbal prod to continue e.g prod 1 - please continue, prod 4- you have no other choice, you must go on

What did the voltage go up to?

450 volts

____% of pps stopped at 300 volts

12.5%

____% of pps continued to 450 volts

65%

What happened to three of the participants?

Experienced full blown uncontrollable seizures

What did the psychologists predict the naive pps would respond?

No more than 3% would go to 450 volts

What did Milgram conclude from his findings? x2

We obey legitimate authority even if that means our behaviour causes harm to others

Certain situational factors encourage obedience

A03 Strength: Replications have supported Milgram’s research findings

In a french tv show contestants were paid to give fake electric shocks when told to by the presenter

80% gave the maximum shocks to an apparently unconscious man

their behaviour was similar to that of Milgram’s pps

Supports Milgram’s findings about obedience to authority

A03 Limitation: Lacks internal validity

Psychologists argued that the pps knew the shocks were fake so they were playacting

Supported by Perrys discovery that only ½ the pps believed the shocks were real

pps may have been responding to demand characteristics

A03 Limitation: Findings aren’t due to blind obedience

Psychologist found that every pps given the first 3 prods obeyed but after the 4th prod began to disobey

First 3 prods needed identification with science of the research but 4th prod needed blind obedience

Findings should be explained as identification with scientific aims rather than blind obedience to authority

A03 Limitation: Ethical Issues

Pps in the study were deceived - thought the shocks were real

Although Milgram debriefed the pps this deception could've had serious consequences for pps and researchers

This can damage Milgram’s reputation and his research in the eyes of the public