Milgram Shock Experiment

Background

• Stanley Milgram aimed to compare obedience levels between the U.S. and Germany post-Nazi era.
• Found unexpectedly high obedience in the U.S., leading to the conclusion of a universal human tendency to obey authority.

Aim

• Measure the extent of obedience to authority, especially when orders conflict with personal conscience.
• Investigate psychological reasons and conditions for obedience and disobedience.

Sample

• 40 male participants, aged 20 to 50, from various occupations and educational backgrounds.
• Participants recruited via ads, paid $4.50 for participation.

Procedure

• Participants assigned as "teachers" through a rigged draw with a confederate as "learner".
• Teachers instructed to administer shocks for incorrect answers during a memory task.
• Shocks were fake; learners were actors.

Learning Task

• Teachers read word pairs to learners, giving shocks for wrong answers.
• Task designed to study obedience under perceived authority.

Fake Shock Generator

• Believed to be real by participants, with labeled shock levels from 15 to 450 volts.

Learner (Confederate)

• Responses were predetermined, simulating distress to measure obedience.

Experimenter (Authority Figure)

• Used scripted prods to ensure continuation of the experiment.
• Experimenter presence played a role in obedience.

Results

• 65% of participants continued to the maximum voltage.
• 100% continued to at least 300 volts.
• Participants showed signs of emotional distress.

Conclusion

• Highlights strong obedience to authority.
• Stress and anxiety prevalent in participants harming others.

Situational Factors

• Institutional authority and uniform affected obedience.
• Proximity to authority and learner influenced participant actions.

Agency Theory

• Milgram proposed that people enter an "agentic state" under authority, passing responsibility to the authority figure.

Variations

• Multiple variations showed changes in obedience based on conditions like location, authority presence, and peer influence.

Ethical Issues

• Concerns about informed consent, deception, participant stress, and withdrawal rights.
• Milgram's study contributed to the development of ethical guidelines for psychological research.

Replications

• Proved consistent obedience across different cultures and conditions, with modern ethical considerations.

Critical Evaluation

• Issues with standardization of procedure and potential experimenter bias.
• Obedience rates continue to be a topic of debate.

Comparisons to the Holocaust

• Milgram's findings used to understand obedience but not directly comparable to war crimes.

Engaged Followership Theory

• New interpretations suggest participants identified with the perceived legitimate authority and cause.

Personality vs. Situation

• Both situational factors and personal traits like empathy influence obedience.

Ethical Considerations in Research

• Importance of ethical guidelines due to psychological impact on participants during experiments like Milgram's.