Warm up!

1. Stand up2. Shake the hand of the

person next to you3. Sit down4. Clap your hands together

five times5. Moo like a cow

Learning Objectives

•define the key term: obedience

•describe Milgram’s (1963) research study

What is obedience?

Definition

Obedience is a type of social influence which causes a person to act in response to an order given by another person. The person who gives the order usually has power or authority.

How far would you go to obey orders?

How far would you go to obey orders?

Context

• The Nazi extermination policy toward the Jews began in 1941 when special mobile killing units began lining up and shooting Jews in mass graves

• 12,000 Jews were killed daily• On 11 April 1961, the trial of Adolf

Eichmann, a Nazi soldier in World War II, began

• He was widely regarded as thearchitect of the Holocaust

Milgram (1963) Research Study

The maximum number of shocks that could be delivered to a “learner” was 30, starting at 15 Volts and going up to 450 Volts in 15-Volt increments..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpIzju84v24&feature=related

“The Germans are different!’

How many participants, out of a total of 40, do you think delivered the maximum 450-Volt

shock, which was labelled XXX?

Conclusions• Demonstrates ordinary people can be very obedient to

authority, even when asked to do in humane (bad) things.

• This shows people are not necessary evil, but ordinary people can carry out evil acts when pressured to obey.

• Therefore it is more situational factors than dispositional (personality) factors.

Variations of MILGRAM’S original study

Proximity of the Victim (Increased proximity)

• Instead of the Teacher and learner in same room, the learner was placed in another room away from the teacher so the teacher could hear the protests of the learner, but could not see the learner.

Lower •40%

Physical force

• Teacher had to force learner’s hand onto the plate to receive electric shock

Lower •30%

Support

• Teacher given support from two other ‘teachers’ (who were actually confederates) who refuse to obey

Lower •10%

Reduced proximity

• Experimenter left the room and gave instructions to ‘teacher’ by telephone

Lower•20.5%

Getting someone else to do it!

• Teacher paired with confederate who threw the switches to give the shock

Higher

•92.5%

Original study

65% of participants continued to give shocks up to 450 volts

Proximity of an authority figure• Teacher and experimenter in same room• Highers obedience rates as the teacher is always being

observed and therefore feeling pressure.

When the proximity changed and the experimenter left the room, several participants gave

Weaker shock levels despite telling the experimenter they were following the correct

Procedures! Ooommmmmmm…..

Presence of Allies

• Teacher given support from two other ‘teachers’ (who were actually confederates) who refuse to obey.

• The participants then started following the ‘teachers’ who were confederates and also refused to obey, so they didn’t have to inflict anymore harm.

Proximity of the Victim

• The learner was seated in another room, although the teacher could hear the learner (i.e, pain and screams when the shocks happened)

• Experimenter left the room and gave instructions to ‘teacher’ by telephone

• When they the learner and teacher where situated in the same room. The level of obedience dropped.

• As well as when they had to touch the learner and get them to put there hand on the shock plate, again the levels dropped.

Increasing the teachers discretion

• Where in a change of variables. Milgram changed the orders and left the teachers to shock the participants at an electricity level of their discretion. (meaning they didn’t have to tell anyone)

• In this condition only 1 participant out of 40 went up to a fatal dose of electricity.

What is obedience? (1 mark)

Briefly outline the difference between obedience and conformity. (2 marks)

What was the background motivation for Milgram’s work? (2 marks)

Outline the main findings from Milgrams study (4marks)

Draw three conclusions about obedience that you have learnt from Milgrams study of obedience. (6 marks)