Milgram Study

Milgram study cards

What year was the study?

1963

What was the aim of the Milgram Study?

To determine the extent to which people would obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform actions that conflicted with their personal conscience.

What was the procedure of the Milgram Study?

The procedure involved participants ("teachers") administering what they believed were electric shocks to a "learner" (a confederate) when the learner answered incorrectly.

What were the findings of the Milgram Study?

The key findings were that a surprising majority of participants (65%) would administer the highest voltage shock (450V), and most participants showed extreme signs of stress (such as trembling, nervous laughter), even while continuing to obey.

What are the conclusions from the Milgram Study?

The conclusion was that ordinary people are highly likely to obey orders from a legitimate authority, even if those orders involve harming another person. 

How many participants were there?

40 in the original study

Where did the study take place (not variation)

Yale University

What were the roles of the real participants?

“Teacher”- delivering the electric shocks

What were the roles of the confederates?

“Learner”- paid actors who intentionally got the answers wrong and faked the pain.

Were the participants deceived?

Yes, they were unaware of the confederates and the true aim of the study. Ethical Issue

Did the participants have the right to withdraw?

Technically yes, but if they tried to leave they were told that the experiment required them to stay. This pressured the participants and made them feel as if they couldn’t leave. Ethical Issue, Evaluative Ethical Weakness.

Did the Participants have informed consent?

No, they weren’t informed about the true purpose of the study and the confederates. Ethical Issue.

Obedience

A form of social influence in which an individual follows a direct order from an authority figure.

The Participants were deceived. Is this a strength or a weakness?

Both- Ethical Weakness and Methodological Strength

Strength or weakness? The experiment was repeated in a French documentary (Le Jeu de la Mort) about reality TV, and very similar results were found. 80% of participants delivered the fatal shock. The participants also exhibited the same nervous behaviour that Milgram found- nervous laughter, trembling, nail biting etc.

Methodological Strength- Replicability, more generalisable 

The study may appear to lack external validity as it was conducted in a lab, but the central feature of the study was the relationship between the authority figure and the participant. Milgram argued that the lab environment accurately reflected wider authority relationships in real life. One other research study found that 21/22 nurses obeyed unjustified by doctors on a hospital ward (until they were stopped). Strength or weakness?

Methodological Strength- Real world study

Proximity Variation procedure

Teacher and Learner in same room

Teacher forced the Learner’s hand onto a Shock Plate (Touch)

Experimenter gave instructions over the phone (remote)

What were the Proximity Variations findings?

Same room- Obedience dropped to 40%

Touch- Obedience dropped to 40%

Remote- Obedience dropped to 20.5%

What were the Proximity Variations Conclusions?

When a person is aware of, and can see the harm they are causing to another person, they are less obediant.

What were the Location Variations Procedure

Move the location of the study from the prestigious Yale University, to a run down office block.

What were the Location Variations Findings?

Obedience fell to 47.5%

What were the Locations Variations Conclusions?

The decrease is because the location is less prestigious, so has less legitimate authority.

Still high due to perceived scientific nature.

What were the Uniform Variations Procedure?

What were the Uniform Variations Findings?

What were the Uniform Variations conclusions?