1
Q
What was the aim of Milgram’s key study?
A
- Researching how far people would go in obeying instructions if another person was being harmed
- Interested in how easily ordinary people can be influenced into committing atrocities
2
Q
What was the procedure of Milgram’s key study?
A
- 40 males between 20 andd 50yrs old - jobs ranged from unskilled to professionals
- Confederate was always the learner
- Experimenter dressed in a grey lab coat
- Two rooms in Yale were used, one for learner with an electric chair and one with teacher with shock generator
- Teacher tests learner with word pairs ,
- Teacher is told to shock learner every time they made a mistake
- Learner gave wrong answers on purpose and shocks ranged from 15 to 450 volts
- There were four prods - please continue, experiment requires you to continue, absolutely essential you continue, you have no other choice but to continue
3
Q
What were the results of Milgram’s key study?
A
- 65% of pp’s continued to highest level of 450 volts and all continued to 300 volts
- Carried out 18 variants of the study and altered the IV to see how it affected the DV
4
Q
What are the strengths of this key study?
A
-Reliable, repeated twice
- Laboraroty setting, controlled
5
Q
What are the weaknesses of Milgram’s key study?
A
- External validity - laboratory conditions
- Bias - All male
- Ethical issues - right to withdraw
6
Q
What factors affect conformity?
A
- Locus of control
- Size of majority
- Uniform
- Proximity
- Location
7
Q
What situational factors affect obedience?
A
- Presence of authority figures
- Social norms
- Proximity
