Milgram psychology (12 marks)
Outline and Evaluate Milgrams Study of Obedience (12 marks) .
Milgram after advertising for volunteer participants were paid on arrival at the laboratory for their time. Participants, believing they were taking part in a memory experiment, were introduced in pairs to the experimenter where they ‘decided’ who was to be either a ‘teacher’ or a ‘learner’. In reality one of the ‘pairs’ of participants was a confederate and the chances were rigged so that the real participant was always the ‘teacher’. The experimenter explained that the ‘teacher’ would test the ‘learner’s’ memory, and when the ‘learner’ answered incorrectly would be asked to give him an electric shock. The ‘learner’ (who was the confederate) was strapped into a chair and wired up to the electric shock generator. So that the ‘teacher’ (the real participant) believed the electric shock generator was real, he was given a 45 volt electric shock. The electric shock generator had a row of switches marked from 15 to 450 volts in 15 volt increments with adjectives describing how severe the shock was, and 435 and 450 volts were labelled “XXX”.
The real participant was taken to an adjacent room where he was unable to see the ‘learner’ and could only hear him. Every time the ‘learner’ answered incorrectly, the participant was instructed by the experimenter to deliver the next highest electric shock, starting with 15 volts. At 75 volts the participant heard the ‘learner’ vaguely react, at 120 volts the learner protested again with more assertion, at 150 volts the learner was distressed and asking to be let out, at 270 volts he started screaming in agony, and after 345 volts the learner became silent. If the participant hesitated or objected to giving a shock, the experimenter used prods including, “The experiment requires you to continue.”, “It is absolutely essential that you continue.” or “You have no other choice, you must go on.” Unknown to the participants, no electric shocks were given and the
Milgram after advertising for volunteer participants were paid on arrival at the laboratory for their time. Participants, believing they were taking part in a memory experiment, were introduced in pairs to the experimenter where they ‘decided’ who was to be either a ‘teacher’ or a ‘learner’. In reality one of the ‘pairs’ of participants was a confederate and the chances were rigged so that the real participant was always the ‘teacher’. The experimenter explained that the ‘teacher’ would test the ‘learner’s’ memory, and when the ‘learner’ answered incorrectly would be asked to give him an electric shock. The ‘learner’ (who was the confederate) was strapped into a chair and wired up to the electric shock generator. So that the ‘teacher’ (the real participant) believed the electric shock generator was real, he was given a 45 volt electric shock. The electric shock generator had a row of switches marked from 15 to 450 volts in 15 volt increments with adjectives describing how severe the shock was, and 435 and 450 volts were labelled “XXX”.
The real participant was taken to an adjacent room where he was unable to see the ‘learner’ and could only hear him. Every time the ‘learner’ answered incorrectly, the participant was instructed by the experimenter to deliver the next highest electric shock, starting with 15 volts. At 75 volts the participant heard the ‘learner’ vaguely react, at 120 volts the learner protested again with more assertion, at 150 volts the learner was distressed and asking to be let out, at 270 volts he started screaming in agony, and after 345 volts the learner became silent. If the participant hesitated or objected to giving a shock, the experimenter used prods including, “The experiment requires you to continue.”, “It is absolutely essential that you continue.” or “You have no other choice, you must go on.” Unknown to the participants, no electric shocks were given and the