Overview
This lecture covers the concept of obedience in social psychology, focusing on Stanley Milgram's classic experiments and their implications for understanding how people respond to authority.
Nature of Obedience
- Obedience is following orders or commands from someone in a position of authority.
- Obedience is often positive, helping society function, but can also lead to unethical or harmful actions.
- Extreme cases of obedience are linked to historical atrocities, such as genocide.
Milgram’s Obedience Experiment
- Milgram designed the study to understand obedience to authority, inspired by Nazi actions during WWII.
- Participants believed they were part of a study on punishment and learning; roles of "teacher" and "learner" were assigned, but participants were always the teacher.
- Teachers were instructed to administer increasing electric shocks to the learner for every mistake, starting from 15 volts to a maximum of 450 volts.
- Learners (confederates) faked reactions to shocks, expressing discomfort and eventually becoming silent as shock levels increased.
- The authority figure urged the teacher to continue, regardless of the learner’s protests.
Results of Milgram’s Study
- Before the study, most people estimated only 1–2% would administer the highest shock; none believed they would themselves.
- In reality, 65% of participants delivered the maximum shock, believing they may have harmed someone.
- Obedience rates have been replicated in different countries, varying from 16% to 90%.
- Recent replications found similar results, with the majority willing to obey orders to apply shocks up to 150 volts.
Explaining Obedience
- Milgram argued the situation, not innate evil, explains high levels of obedience.
- Obedience decreased when the experimenter's authority was reduced (e.g., less prestigious location, authority absent, instructions given by phone or another person).
- Variations of the study showed situational factors greatly influence obedience rates.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Obedience — following orders or commands from someone with authority.
- Authority Figure — an individual in a position of power whose instructions are likely to be obeyed.
- Confederate — an actor in an experiment who pretends to be a participant.
- Milgram Experiment — a study testing how far people would go in obeying instructions from an authority figure, even if it meant harming others.
Action Items / Next Steps