AICE Psychology Experiment Questions
and Accurate Answers
Milgram - aim? - ✔✔To investigate what level of obedience would be shown when participants
were told by an authority figure to administer electric shocks to another person
Milgram - participants/sample? - ✔✔VOLUNTARY/SELF-SELECT
40 white males aged 20-50 from New Haven, Connecticut; wide range of education levels;
answered ad in newspaper; paid 4.50
Milgram - results? - ✔✔QUAN: all P's got to at least 300 volts; 65% (26) went to 450
QUAL: amount of stress and tension observed by P's
Milgram - conclusions? - ✔✔-anxiety: sweating, trembling, nervous laughter, biting lip
-3 had seizures
-most found experiment stressful and wanted to stop
-2 surprise findings: amount of obedience and extreme tension
Milgram - strengths and weakness? - ✔✔S: easy to replicate and standardized
W: high Demand Characteristics and not generalizable
Pilliavin - aim? - ✔✔To investigate whether diffusion of responsibility applies in all situations
and what other factors might influence helping behavior
Pilliavin - participants/sample? - ✔✔OPPORTUNITY SAMPLE
4 groups of 4 stooges (2M2F): males played victim & observer; 1 team had black victim; white
female observers
, Subway participants: 43 avg of riders per section; 55% white and 45% black; 4500 people
estimated
Pilliavin - results? - ✔✔QUAN: 93% spontaneous help; cane 100% w and w/o model, avg 5 sec;
drunk 86% help w/o model, 75% w model, avg 109 sec; men 90% of first helpers
QUAL: comments made by women "I'm not strong enough" "That's a man's job" and looks of
disgust by other riders
Pilliavin - conclusion? - ✔✔No diffusion of responsibility was found (people helped)
Pilliavin - strengths and weaknesses? - ✔✔S: standardized procedure and highly generalizable
W: no women as victims and ethical considerations
Yamamoto - aims? - ✔✔-to investigate whether chimpanzees have the ability and flexibility to
help another chimp depending on its specific needs
-the research team had also noted that the chimps. seldom help others w/o being asked and
they wanted to investigate
Yamamoto - participants/sample? - ✔✔OPPORTUNITY SAMPLE
5 mother-offspring pairs
Yamamoto - results? - ✔✔CAN SEE: 90% came after other chimp requested help; 4 chimps
offered stick or straw first (Pan=brush); only 3 chimps tested in 2nd can see condition
CANNOT SEE: 71.1% came after request; Ayumu looked through hole
Yamamoto - conclusions? - ✔✔-provides evidence for the chimps flexible targeted helping
based on an understanding of the needs or goals of another chimp
-they still seldom help others w/o a direct request
and Accurate Answers
Milgram - aim? - ✔✔To investigate what level of obedience would be shown when participants
were told by an authority figure to administer electric shocks to another person
Milgram - participants/sample? - ✔✔VOLUNTARY/SELF-SELECT
40 white males aged 20-50 from New Haven, Connecticut; wide range of education levels;
answered ad in newspaper; paid 4.50
Milgram - results? - ✔✔QUAN: all P's got to at least 300 volts; 65% (26) went to 450
QUAL: amount of stress and tension observed by P's
Milgram - conclusions? - ✔✔-anxiety: sweating, trembling, nervous laughter, biting lip
-3 had seizures
-most found experiment stressful and wanted to stop
-2 surprise findings: amount of obedience and extreme tension
Milgram - strengths and weakness? - ✔✔S: easy to replicate and standardized
W: high Demand Characteristics and not generalizable
Pilliavin - aim? - ✔✔To investigate whether diffusion of responsibility applies in all situations
and what other factors might influence helping behavior
Pilliavin - participants/sample? - ✔✔OPPORTUNITY SAMPLE
4 groups of 4 stooges (2M2F): males played victim & observer; 1 team had black victim; white
female observers
, Subway participants: 43 avg of riders per section; 55% white and 45% black; 4500 people
estimated
Pilliavin - results? - ✔✔QUAN: 93% spontaneous help; cane 100% w and w/o model, avg 5 sec;
drunk 86% help w/o model, 75% w model, avg 109 sec; men 90% of first helpers
QUAL: comments made by women "I'm not strong enough" "That's a man's job" and looks of
disgust by other riders
Pilliavin - conclusion? - ✔✔No diffusion of responsibility was found (people helped)
Pilliavin - strengths and weaknesses? - ✔✔S: standardized procedure and highly generalizable
W: no women as victims and ethical considerations
Yamamoto - aims? - ✔✔-to investigate whether chimpanzees have the ability and flexibility to
help another chimp depending on its specific needs
-the research team had also noted that the chimps. seldom help others w/o being asked and
they wanted to investigate
Yamamoto - participants/sample? - ✔✔OPPORTUNITY SAMPLE
5 mother-offspring pairs
Yamamoto - results? - ✔✔CAN SEE: 90% came after other chimp requested help; 4 chimps
offered stick or straw first (Pan=brush); only 3 chimps tested in 2nd can see condition
CANNOT SEE: 71.1% came after request; Ayumu looked through hole
Yamamoto - conclusions? - ✔✔-provides evidence for the chimps flexible targeted helping
based on an understanding of the needs or goals of another chimp
-they still seldom help others w/o a direct request
