Obedience - Milgram (1962)

PROCEDURE

This experiment was conducted at Yale university, America. 40 males aged 20-50 years old were asked to be 'teachers' to a man in another room. The participant had to ask the man in the other room (who was a confederate, so was not actually harmed) questions as part of a 'learning experiment'. When wrong answers were given, they would give them an electric shock, with the voltage increasing each time.

RESULTS

All of the participants gave the confederate at least 300 volts, whereas 65% of them gave him the lethal maximum of 450 volts.

TSF IN MILGRAM'S EXPERIMENT

Setting

• When Milgram's experiment was moved to a rundown office building in downtown Bridgeport, the amount of people giving the maximum of 450 volts fells from 65% to 47.5%

Culture

• When conducted in Austrailia, the amount of people which give the maximum voltage fell to 40%, as it is an individualist culture.
• In Italy, it rose to 80%, and 85% in Austria, as these are both collectivist cultures.

Power to Punish / Figure of Authority

• If the figures of authority were not present, the amount of people who gave the maximum voltage was reduced to 20%

Consensus

• When the study was repeated with one genuine participant and two disobeying confederates, only 10% delivered the maximum voltage.

CRITICISMS

1 -  It lacks ecological validity

• It was conducted in an artificial setting, so is subject to demand characteristics.

2 - It bypassed ethical guidelines

• Participants weren't provided with the right to withdraw
• Participants didn't give informed consent
• The participants were deceived as they weren't told the true reason for the experiment
• This could have caused distress, embarrassment or other long-term harm

3 - Individual differences weren't accounted for

• People naturally vary in how likely they are to obey despite other factors.