Obedience (Milgram)
- Created by: z_mills1
- Created on: 16-05-14 18:06
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- Obedience (Milgram)
- Procedure
- 40 male volunteers were told it was a study about how punishment affects learning
- a draw took place (which was rigged), the real participant was assigned the role of 'teacher' and the learner was a confederate
- the shocks began at 15 volts and increased in increments of 15 volts to a max 450 volts
- the teacher's job was to administrate a learning task and deliver 'electric shocks' to the learner (in another room) if he got a question wrong
- the teacher was given a mild shock to show machines were real
- shocks given to the learner were NOT real
- Findings
- all participants went to at least 300 volts
- only 12.5% stopped at this point
- 65% of participants continued to 450 volts, showing high levels of obedience
- all participants went to at least 300 volts
- Variations
- location moved to a run down office - 48% administered max 450volts
- teacher in same room as learner - 40% administered max 450 volts
- teacher presses learners hand on shock plate - 30% max shock
- experimenter gives orders over the phone - 21% max shock
- presence of allies - another 'teacher' refuses to give shock - 10% max shock
- Evaluation
- Ethics
- Deception and lack of informed consent
- pp's were misled by being told the experiment was about effects of punishment on learning rather than obedience
- consequently, pp's were denied the right to informed consent
- pp's were misled by being told the experiment was about effects of punishment on learning rather than obedience
- Protection from psychological harm
- Baumrind claimed that Milgram had placed his pp's under great emotional strain - causing psychological damage that could not be justified
- Milgram argued that post-study interviews found no evidence of such harm
- Baumrind claimed that Milgram had placed his pp's under great emotional strain - causing psychological damage that could not be justified
- Deception and lack of informed consent
- demand characteristics
- Orne and Holland claimed that people have learned to distrust experimenters in psychology - real purpose of experiment is disguised
- consequently, pp's must have know they were not giving real shocks
- Orne and Holland claimed that people have learned to distrust experimenters in psychology - real purpose of experiment is disguised
- Ethics
- Procedure
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