Milgram

Question 1

Findings - Quantitative data

Answer 1

> Prior, surveyed 14 Yale Psychology students
- estimated 0-3% would do 450v

• majority continued to 300v,
• 5 refused to continue - all continued to this point
  >26 arrived 450v (65%)

Question 2

Findings - qualitative data

Answer 2

• many showed nervousness
• showed extreme tension: sweat, tremble, stutter, bite lips, dig finger-nails into flesh
• 14 - nervous laughter: acting against their own values
  >3 full-blown uncontrollable seizures

Question 3

Conclusions

Answer 3

Milgram concluded that he had created a situation where it was difficult for the participants to disobey
The elements that contributed to levels of obedience are:
* location (university of Yale)
* experimenter knew what he was doing, worthy purpose
* didn’t want to disrupt, felt under obligation to experimenter due to voluntary consent
* novel situation, didn’t know how to behave
* little time to resolve conflict
* assumed discomfort was minimal ant temporary

Question 4

Methodology

Answer 4

• conducted in laboratory environment - conditions controlled
• Not an experiment
• Participants
• advertisement in a New Haven newspaper
• from people that responded he selected 40 males 20-50yo
• think they were taking part in research about memory and learning.
• sample - range of jobs, varied in educational level
• paid $4.50 - they would recieve this for just coming to the lab - payment did not depend on remaining in the study

Question 5

Procedure

Answer 5

• lab at Yale Uni
• greeted by ‘experimenter’ - 31yo, dressed in a grey technician’s coat
• another ‘participant’ was at the lab
• (both were confederates)
• drew slips of paper to decide who would play the role of teacher and learner - rigged
• both raken to experimental room
• learner strapped to an electric chair
• electrode placed on learner’s wrist linked to a shock generator.

The shock machine
The learning task
Feedback from experimenter
Dehoax

Question 6

Procedure - The Shock machine

Answer 6

• teacher taken to adjoining room and seated in front of shock generator
• 30 switched -15v - 450v
• Every 4 switch - label ‘slight shock to intense shock’ - 225v. 450v XXX, potentially fatal
• experimenter gave teacher sample sock to demonstrate that the machine was real

Question 7

The learning task

Answer 7

• teacher told to give shock each time learner gave wrong answer - escelate to a higher shock each time
• learner told to not make comments until 300v. - at this point should pound on wall and then not make further comments

Question 8

Feedback from experimenter

Answer 8

• experimenter trained to give a sequence of four standard prods if teacher hesitated
• please continue
• the experiment requires that you continue
• it is absolutely essential that you continue
• you have no other choice, you must go on
• Special prods - although the shocks may be painful, there is no permanent tissue damage so go on

Question 9

Dehoax

Answer 9

• after - teacher thoroughly dehoaxed
• experimenter reunited the teacher and learner
• interviewd about their experience in the study

Question 10

Evaluation - Internal Validity

Answer 10

• Orne and Holland - claim research lack internal validity as they didn’t believe shocks were real - wouldn’t make sense that someone in a learning experiment would receive fatal shocks - behaved the way they were expected to due to demand characteristics of the study
• Milgram - 75% of the participants strongly believed they were giving electric shocks

Question 11

Evalutate - Ethical issues

Answer 11

• Baumrind - claimed Milgram caused psychological damage to participants
• Milgram defended himself - didn’t know prior to study that such high levels of stress would be caused, he did consider ending the study when he observed the particiants’ behaviour but decided there was no indications of injurious effects, 84% said they were glad to have participated
• Perry - argued he failed in his duty of care because some were waiting up to a eyar before they were debrief despite leaving the lab believing they had killed someone.