Milgram 1963

Milgram 1963

1. Aim: to find out if people would show obedience to an authority figure who told them to administer an electric shock to another person

   • Obedience: the compliance to an order issued by an authority figure.
   • Conclusion: In general, indiciduals will obey an authority figure even if what they were asked to dop goes against their ethical and moral beliefs

2. Sample: Self-selecting, androcentric, 40 males aged 20-50 from New Haven and surrounding community, variety of proffesions and backgrounds

   • Confederate experimenter: 31 year old high school biology teacher. Grey lab coat. Stern throughout the experiment. Confederate learner: 47 yearold accountant whom most observers found mild-mannered and likeable.
     • Prods: "please continue", the experimnet requires that you continue" "you must go on"
   • Told the experiment was about the effects of punishment on learning (no demand characteristics) given sample shock of 45v

3. Details

   • Shock generator: 30 switches 15v-450v
   • Quantitative data:100% of participants continued to 300v, 26 went to 450v, 5 participants stopped at 300V, 14 experienced nervous smiling and laughter, 3 had uncontrollable seizures,
   • Qualitative data: participants showed signs if extreme tension, sweat, stuttering, trembling,biting lips, groaning, digging finger nails into flesh
   • Controlled observation - no IV so it is not a lab experiment
   • No informed consent, deception, discouraged to withdraw, not protected from mental harm, confidentiality, debrief given
   • Reliable: can be repeated because lot's of controls used.