Milgram
Who?
Milgam
When?
1963
Information found in:
Psychology class notes
Wikipedia
Aim:
To investigate the effect of situational and dispositional factors on behaviour.
Research Method:
Lab experiment
Participants:
40 men (volunteers)
Procedure:
The participant was introduced to the experimenter and another participant, who was actually a confederate. The true participant became the 'teacher' and the confederate was the 'learner'. The learner moved into a different room and wired up to a shock machine.
The teacher had to ask the learner questions. Each wrong answer got a shock, starting at 15 volts and increasing by 15 up to 600V. In reality the learner was a recorded voice. After 300V (fatal shock) the learner stops responding.
When asked before the experiment, experts said only 1% would reach 450V and they would be psychopaths.
Findings:
100% went up to 300V
65% went up to 450V
Throughout the experiment, participants displayed tension and stress. They were sweating, trembling, stuttering, biting their lips, groaning, digging their fingernails into their skin, and some were even having nervous laughing fits or seizures.
Conclusion:
Situational factors can influence behaviour. This was a very prestigious setting of Yale university and the experimenter had a lab coat which gave him authority as well as him accepting responsibility of the learner.
In one variation, in a run-down office block, obedience dropped significantly.
Evaluation:
:( Unethical -caused stress and distress in ppts
:) Useful for how situational and dispositional factors influence behaviour
Learning Objectives:
Discuss ethical considerations related to research studies at the sociocultural level of analysis
Describe the role of situational and dispositional factors in explaining behaviour