Findings cannot be generalised
to the whole population
40 Participants
American middle- aged
men= ANDROCENTRIC
From USA= ETHNOCENTRIC
NOT REPRESENTATIVE to
women and other epople aprt
from in USA
LIMITED
RELIABILITY
Labatory Experiment
Therefore high control of variaibles
The study can be repilicated
and tested for reliability
Results were consistent with 'Meeus and
Raaijmakers' and 'Hoflings' Experiment
All found high obedience levels
making study more reliable
For example: Hofling (1966) alike Milgram Found that the nurses
(participants) were prepared to go against their conscience and obey an
order given to them by an authority figure- even though it may have
caused harm
APPLICATION
Can be related to the key issue-
Blind Obedience in Abu Ghraib
Relate back to Tajfels Agency Theory
Autonomus State
Moral Strain
Agentic State
VALIDITY
LACKS ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY
Artificial nature of the
task- isn't something that
you do in day to day life
Lab Experiment = The setting wasn't
natural, behaviour of participants may
have differed
ETHICS
DECEPTION- participants were
decieved
In briefing they were
told the study was
on learning, not
obedience
Fake Scrreams, Rigged Draw, other
participant was a confederate
PROTECTION- limited
Particiapnts experienced stress
and emotional conflict- Milgram
didn't take precautions to limit these
effects
MILGRAMS DEFENCE
... He did a debreifing, conveying
that the leanrer wasnt harmed
And did a psychology
test a year later
RIGHT TO WITHDRAW
VERBAL PRODS- suggest that
withdrawal was not possible
ETHICALLY INCORRECT
However we we should consider whetehr it
would have been a valid experiement, if
participnt was remined of withdrawl often