Social Psychology, Milgram (1963)

1. Milgram wanted to study how an authority figure can influence your view or moral in situations in which one person is harming another.

1. Quantitative
   1. The level of shocks admististered.

      Annotations:

      • 15 Volts up to 450 Volts Going up by 15 volts for each wrong question.
   2. The percentage who went up to 450 volts.

      Annotations:

      • 65% of people went up to 450. 26/40 would have killed due to 'just following orders/instructions'.
2. Qualitative
   1. Interviews
   2. Comments

      Annotations:

      • Comment from a participant during the study; "I think he is trying to communicate, he's knocking. Well it's not fair to shock the guy - these are terrific shocks. I don't think this is very humane. Oh, I can't go on with this."
      • Comment from a participant during the study; "He's banging in there. I think i'm going to chicken out. I want to continue but i cannot do that to a man. I'm sorry, i cannot do that to a man. I'll hurt his heart. Here, take your money."
   3. Observations

      Annotations:

      • On how the participants acted.

Annotations:

• Partiicipants were seen to sweat, tremble, stutter. bite their lips, groan and dig their nails into their palms.

1. Some shook their head in regret whilst others had shown no signs of tensions throughout the entire experiment.

Annotations:

• At 300 volts - 5 participants refused to obeying, stopping the experiment. The learning was pounding on the wall.
• At 315 volts, 4 participants refused to obey.
• At 330 volts, 2 participants refused to obey. The learner was no longer answering the teacher at all.
• At 345, 360 and 375 volts, one participant refuesd to obey (in each volt setting).
• I've memorised this by using the sequence 5,4,2,1,1,1 for the number of people who stopped shocking at and after 300 volts.

Annotations:

• Only using men in the study means that the findings cannot be generalised to the whole of a population.
• The fact the age range is limited to 20-50 year olds also lessons the Ecological Validity, as it is excluding a high percentage of the population,

Annotations:

• This means that the participants, after ealising that they fit into the requirments needed, applied for the experiment themselves.

Annotations:

• They were tolf they would get paid this no matter what happened in the experiment.

Annotations:

• White-Collar Workers are business workers, proffession office job stuff.

Annotations:

• The 'Stooge' was called Mr Wallace). The 'Stooge' may be called a 'Confederate' in the exam.

Annotations:

• The participants selected a strip of paper deeming them a Teacher. This was pre-chosen as there were only slips enscripted with teacher on them.
• The participants selected first. Obviously.

1. This is a large ethical issue apparent in this study; 2 of the participants had seizures due to the amount of stress caused by the study - Only one did they actually stop the study for due to the seriousness of the procedure.

   Annotations:

   • The majoirty of the participants showed signs of tension. guilt. anxiety and severe stress.

1. There were no obvious signs that allowed the participants to withdraw, the researching was the only one in the room to give the participant authority to leave, which he gave the opposite of, the 4th Prod for example.

   Annotations:

   • Milgram argued that this was not an ethical issue that should apply to his study as there was no physical means of stopping the participants from leaving.

1. The participants were told that the study was on memory.

   Annotations:

   • Which was really a cover story.
2. They believed they were hurting another person.

   Annotations:

   • When in fact it was an actor and pre-recorded sounds.

1. Experimental Realism

   Annotations:

   • Is the extent to which an experiment can involve a participant and get them to behave in a way that is relevant to the study/experiment/whatever they are meant to be doing.

Annotations:

• Allowing for the effects of the experimenter's commands to be observed clearly.

Annotations:

• This meant they had given consent - which is normally hard to do in the field.

Annotations:

• Issued in red to the right in detail.

Annotations:

• This sample was limited - both to the male population and the age range of those males. This means the sample was not representative. Also noted in the 'Participant' section in mustard yellow.
• As the sample is a self-selected sample, the participants may feel obligated to finish the study despite what they are morally thinking. This means the validity of the study is not as strong as it could be.
• Other aspects of this study that could compel the participants to feel obligated to carry on with the study is the money that is offered, as the money is given at the start of the experiment, the participants may feel they are duty bound to carry on with the study as they have already been given the money.
• Milgream did attemot to lessen the feel of obligation by giving the money to the participants at the start of the experiment, and saying that they can keep the money reguardless if they finish the study, so that the participants didn't need to stay if they were only doing the srudy for money.

Annotations:

• Due this experiment being a Laboratory experiment, the Ecological Validity of the results can be question. As this experiment is not in a natural enviroment the realism of the participants reactions can be questioned.
• However, as stated in 'Method and Design', experimental realism plays a part in Milgrams experiment. Although fake, the act of harming another human being was very real to the participants meaning that their reaction were most probably how they would react in a similar natural observation.
• Mundane realism was also high in this study as the participants did act how they would of if the experiment was a real life situation.

Annotations:

• For example, 'Green' 'Grass'. The teacher would then say 'Green' to the Learner, who would have to reply with 'Grass'  other wise they would be shocked by the rising voltage. 

Annotations:

• Normally, due to these types experiments being in a  Laboratory, they would lack in Ecological Validity. However, due to the intense and realistic enviroment Milgrams study was set in, it can still be classed as high in Ecological Validity due to it having experimental realism.

Annotations:

• The experiment was repeated 40 times with the 40 different participants.

Annotations:

• Yale is one of the most well known Universities in the U.S.A.

Annotations:

• After being given the money, they felt obligated to carrry on and finish the experiment.
• Milgram tried to make the feeling of obligation of carrying on for the money offered by giving it to them when they enter the laboratory at the start of the experiment.

Annotations:

• Due to the inferred high authority the researcher had, it made the chance/choice or withdrawal harder for the participants.

Annotations:

• The participant felt as if they should just go through with the experiemnt and get it over and done with.

Annotations:

• Determinism - The argument that we do not have much control over our own actions,