Obedience- Milgram Shock Experiment

Define obedience

- a type of social influence which causes a person to act in response to an order given by another person

- the person giving the order usually has power/authority

Why was Milgram interested in studying obedience?

WW2 Holocaust and obedience to kill when ordered to do so

When the Milgram's procedure was adapted what was the OG results used for?

make comparisons

What type of sampling did Milgram use?

volunteer sampling

What did Milgram's PPs believe the study was about?

memory

Name the 3 steps of assigning the roles in Milgram's study

- PP and confederate drew lots to see which role they would play (fixed)

- PP was always teacher and confederate was learner in all conditions

- there was always another confederate in a lab coat called the experimenter

Name 3 steps for procedure of Milgram's study

- learner in a different room

- teacher would read PP word matching tasks and was ordered to give a shock each incorrect answer increasing in voltage each time

- shocks were fake but PP did not know this

What was the range of voltage shocks the PP could give the learner?

15-450 volts

What voltage did every PP give?

300 volts

What % of PP continued to shock until 450 volts?

65%

What did Milgram collect in qualitative data?

PP showed signs of extreme tension: sweating, biting nails

What % did Milgram's students predict would shock with full deadly voltage?

3%

What happened to PP after baseline study?

full debrief and assured their behaviour was normal

What did Milgram conclude from his shock experiment?

German people were no different and felt obliged due to obedience

In BBC replica study, how many PP went to 450 volts?

9/12

Name 2 strengths of Milgram's shock experiment

- research support

- Good external validity

Name 2 limitations to Milgram's shock experiment

- low internal validity + counter

- alternative explanations of findings

Evidence that Milgram's shock experiment has research support

- in French TV show The Game of Death in 2010 replication of Milgram study in front of studio audience

- PP believed they were contestants on a new pilot show

- were paid to give electric shocks to other confederates in front of studio audience as ordered by presenter

Explanation that Milgram's shock experiment has research support

- 80% of PP delivered the maximum shock to an apparently unconscious man

- behaviour of PP were identical to Milgram such as nail biting and signs of anxiety

Link that Milgram's shock experiment has research support

supports Milgram's OG findings about obedience to authority and his findings were not just due to special circumstances

Evidence that Milgram's shock experiment has good external validity

- Hofling studied American nurses in various hospitals

- were told over phone by Dr Smith (confederate) to give Mr Jones (Dr Smith patient) 20mg of a made up drug

- Dr S said he was busy and would sign the authorisation when he saw the patient in 10mins

Explanation that Milgram's shock experiment has good external validity

- the label on the box clearly stated the max dose was 10mg so if nurse obeyed instructions would be giving double max dose

- 21/22 nurses complied without hesitation

Link that Milgram's shock experiment has good external validity

Milgram's findings stand true in real life scenarios

Evidence Milgram's research has low internal validity

- Milgram reported 75% PP believed shocks were real

- Orne & Holland criticised OG study because they felt PP had worked out shocks weren't real

Explanation Milgram's research has low internal validity

- low internal validity as does not measure what was intended to

- Gina Perry listened to OG tapes believed 1/2 believed the shocks to be real and 2/3 of them were disobedient

Link Milgram's research has low internal validity

suggests PP may have been responding to demand characteristics

Counter evidence to low internal validity

-Sheridan & King conducted similar study and PP gave real shocks to a puppy

- 54% men and 100% women gave fatal shocks

Counter link to low internal validity

suggests effects in Milgram's study were genuine as PP behave the same when shocks were real

Evidence there may be alternative interpretations of Milgram's findings

- Haslam found that when PP given first 3 verbal prompts they continued but once got to 4th "you have no other choice you must go on" they disobeyed

Explanation there may be alternative interpretations of Milgram's findings

- social identity theory (SIT) suggests PPs only obeyed when they identified with the scientific aims of the study

- disobeyed when asked to blindly obey an authority figure

Link there may be alternative interpretations of Milgram's findings

SIT may provide more valid interpretation of findings as Milgram stated "identifying with the science" as a reason for obedience