Outline and evaluate Milgram’s research into obedience (16 marks)
In 1963 Milgram conducted an experiment investigating whether Americans would obey
unjust orders from someone in an authoritative figure which result in inflicting pain on others.
40 men volunteered to take part in an experiment on what they thought was ‘learning and
punishment’. The participants were paired with a confederate and a lot was drawn that was
rigged so that the confederate took the role of the learner and the participant was the
teacher. The experimenter, also a confederate in a lab coat to reflect their position,
explained to the participant that they would be teaching the learner word pairs and if an
incorrect answer was given they would need to administer an electric shock of an increasing
voltage up to 450 volts. The volts were labelled on the machine to be seemingly dangerous.
Milgram's results were as follows: 100% of the participants went to 300 volts and 65% went
to the full 450 volts meaning they were totally obedient. Milgram also made qualitative
observations including signs of anxiety displayed by the participants such as sweating and
biting nails.
One strength of Milgram's study is that the findings have been replicated in a French
documentary about reality TV (Beauvois et al 2012). Participants thought they were
contestants in a pilot episode of a game show called ‘Le jeu de la mort’. They were ordered
by the presenter to give (fake) electric shocks to other contestants (actors) in front of an
audience. 80% of the participants gave the maximum shock to a seemingly unconscious
man. The contestants also displayed similar signs of anxiety as Milgram's participants
demonstrating that Milgram's findings were not just due to special circumstance.
However, Milgram's results may be invalid as they were testing the wrong thing. Milgram
reported that 75% of his participants believed that the shocks were real. Gina Perry (2013)
listened to the tapes of the study and revealed that in fact this figure was only 50%. 2/3 of
these participants were disobedient. Therefore it is possible that Milgram's participants were
in fact responding to demand characteristics and were aiming to fulfill the aims of the
experiment.
However, Charles Sheridan and Richard King conducted a study in 1972 where participants
gave real shocks to a puppy in response to orders from an experimenter. 54% of male and
100% of female participants gave an apparently fatal shock to the puppy despite its distress.
This shows that the participants were still obedient despite the shocks actually being real,
supporting Milgram’s results and countering Gina Perry’s argument.
In 1963 Milgram conducted an experiment investigating whether Americans would obey
unjust orders from someone in an authoritative figure which result in inflicting pain on others.
40 men volunteered to take part in an experiment on what they thought was ‘learning and
punishment’. The participants were paired with a confederate and a lot was drawn that was
rigged so that the confederate took the role of the learner and the participant was the
teacher. The experimenter, also a confederate in a lab coat to reflect their position,
explained to the participant that they would be teaching the learner word pairs and if an
incorrect answer was given they would need to administer an electric shock of an increasing
voltage up to 450 volts. The volts were labelled on the machine to be seemingly dangerous.
Milgram's results were as follows: 100% of the participants went to 300 volts and 65% went
to the full 450 volts meaning they were totally obedient. Milgram also made qualitative
observations including signs of anxiety displayed by the participants such as sweating and
biting nails.
One strength of Milgram's study is that the findings have been replicated in a French
documentary about reality TV (Beauvois et al 2012). Participants thought they were
contestants in a pilot episode of a game show called ‘Le jeu de la mort’. They were ordered
by the presenter to give (fake) electric shocks to other contestants (actors) in front of an
audience. 80% of the participants gave the maximum shock to a seemingly unconscious
man. The contestants also displayed similar signs of anxiety as Milgram's participants
demonstrating that Milgram's findings were not just due to special circumstance.
However, Milgram's results may be invalid as they were testing the wrong thing. Milgram
reported that 75% of his participants believed that the shocks were real. Gina Perry (2013)
listened to the tapes of the study and revealed that in fact this figure was only 50%. 2/3 of
these participants were disobedient. Therefore it is possible that Milgram's participants were
in fact responding to demand characteristics and were aiming to fulfill the aims of the
experiment.
However, Charles Sheridan and Richard King conducted a study in 1972 where participants
gave real shocks to a puppy in response to orders from an experimenter. 54% of male and
100% of female participants gave an apparently fatal shock to the puppy despite its distress.
This shows that the participants were still obedient despite the shocks actually being real,
supporting Milgram’s results and countering Gina Perry’s argument.
