Milgram's Study of Destructive Obedience (1963)
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- Created on: 20-05-16 18:14
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- Milgram's Study of Destructive Obedience (1963)
- Background Context
- Milgram is interested in destructive obedience.
- He was from a Jewish family so was affected by Nazi Germany
- Aim
- To investigate how obedient people would be to orders from a person in authority that would result in pain and harm to another person.
- More specifically, the aim was to see how large an electric shock participants would give to a helpless man when ordered to by a scientist in his own laboratory.
- To investigate how obedient people would be to orders from a person in authority that would result in pain and harm to another person.
- Participants
- 40 Men aged 20 - 50 years
- Self-Selected, Volunteer Sample
- Promised $4.50 for their time and 50 cents for travel.
- Recruited by means of a newspaper advertisement
- All from the New Haven district of North America.
- Recruited by means of a newspaper advertisement
- Promised $4.50 for their time and 50 cents for travel.
- Self-Selected, Volunteer Sample
- 40 Men aged 20 - 50 years
- Procedure
- Study took place at Yale University
- When P's arrived, they were introduced to a man that the P believed is another P.
- The two men were then briefed of the purpose of the experiment.
- 'Investigating effect of punishment on learning'
- The other man was working for Milgram. - 47 year old Irish American accountant
- Helped in playing the 'learner'.
- P's were told to administer shocks to the 'learner' whenever he got the answer wrong.
- Shocks went from 15v to 450v.
- Scientist in lab coat prodded P's to go on with study.
- Legitimate authority figure
- Scientist in lab coat prodded P's to go on with study.
- Shocks went from 15v to 450v.
- P's were told to administer shocks to the 'learner' whenever he got the answer wrong.
- Helped in playing the 'learner'.
- The two men were then briefed of the purpose of the experiment.
- When P's arrived, they were introduced to a man that the P believed is another P.
- Study took place at Yale University
- Results
- Average voltage given was 368v.
- 100% of P's gave 300v or more.
- 65% gave the full 450v.
- Results from rating scale, average rating of 13.45 out of maximum of 14 on how painful the shocks were.
- 65% gave the full 450v.
- 100% of P's gave 300v or more.
- Average voltage given was 368v.
- Conclusion
- People find experience of receiving and obeying destructive orders highly stressful.
- Obeyed in spite of emotional responses
- The situation triggers a conflict between two deeply ingrained tendencies: to obey those in authority, and not to harm people.
- Results supported the situational hypothesis rather than the dispositional hypothesis.
- The situation triggers a conflict between two deeply ingrained tendencies: to obey those in authority, and not to harm people.
- Obeyed in spite of emotional responses
- People are more obedient to destructive orders than we might expect.
- People find experience of receiving and obeying destructive orders highly stressful.
- Background Context
- Left Europe for America
- Holocaust - Situation + Obedience
- Average voltage given was 368v.
- 100% of P's gave 300v or more.
- 65% gave the full 450v.
- Results from rating scale, average rating of 13.45 out of maximum of 14 on how painful the shocks were.
- 65% gave the full 450v.
- 100% of P's gave 300v or more.
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