Stanley Milgram's Obedience Experiment

Concept Map

Algorino

Edit available

Stanley Milgram's obedience experiment revealed how ordinary people could be driven to inflict pain under authoritative orders. The study's variations showed that factors like location and authority presence significantly influenced obedience levels. These experiments have profound implications for our comprehension of human behavior and the ethical conduct of psychological research.

Summary

Outline

The Origins of Milgram's Obedience Experiment

Stanley Milgram's seminal obedience experiment originated from his quest to understand the psychological processes that could lead ordinary individuals to participate in inhumane acts, as seen during the Holocaust. Milgram challenged the notion that such behaviors were unique to a particular culture or inherent to a specific group of people, such as Germans under the Nazi regime. Instead, he proposed that the propensity to obey authoritative commands could compel individuals to act contrary to their ethical beliefs.

Austere clinical laboratory with vintage metal desk, antique microphone, chair with leather cushion and restraint chair with straps.

Experimental Design and Methodology

The Milgram experiment was ingeniously designed to measure the extent to which individuals would obey an authority figure when instructed to perform acts conflicting with their personal conscience. Volunteers, responding to a newspaper ad, were cast in the role of 'teacher' and were directed to administer increasingly severe electric shocks to a 'learner' for each incorrect response in a learning task. The shocks were simulated, starting at 15 volts and potentially escalating to a lethal 450 volts. The 'learner' was an actor, and the true measure was not the learner's response but the teacher's compliance with the authority's directives.

Results of Milgram's Obedience Study

The findings from Milgram's initial study were profound and unsettling. All participants administered shocks up to 300 volts, and about two-thirds reached the maximum 450 volts. These results demonstrated a strong inclination to obey orders from an authority figure, even when such orders resulted in the infliction of pain on another person. Milgram's work suggested that the capacity for cruelty could be a function of situational factors, rather than inherent malevolence, offering a new perspective on the understanding of the Holocaust.

Influence of Contextual Factors on Obedience Levels

Subsequent variations of the original experiment by Milgram explored how different environmental and social factors could affect obedience. For instance, when the setting was moved from Yale University to a less prestigious location, obedience rates dropped to 47.5%. Adjusting the proximity of the teacher to the learner also affected compliance, with closer proximity resulting in lower obedience. These findings highlighted the impact of the authority's perceived legitimacy and the victim's proximity on the participants' obedience.

The Authority's Presence and Obedience

In one of the most telling variations, known as Variation 13, Milgram investigated the effect of the authority figure's presence on obedience. In this scenario, the experimenter, who had established authority, left the room, and a second confederate, who had not been introduced as an authority figure, took over. This led to a significant reduction in obedience, with only 20% of participants continuing to the highest shock level. This variation underscored the critical role of the authority figure's immediate presence and perceived power in commanding obedience.

Ethical Reflections on Milgram's Study

Milgram's obedience study has been the subject of ongoing ethical scrutiny. The experiment's use of deception and the potential for causing psychological distress to participants have raised concerns about its morality. Participants were misled to believe they were administering real shocks, which could have induced significant emotional strain and guilt. Although Milgram conducted thorough debriefings, the debate continues regarding the ethical standards for the treatment of human subjects in psychological experiments.

The Enduring Significance of Milgram's Research

The legacy of Milgram's obedience experiments is indelible in the field of social psychology. The research provided critical insights into how ordinary people can be influenced to act against their moral judgment under authoritative pressure. These experiments have fueled discussions about societal power structures and the ethical limits of psychological experimentation. Despite ethical controversies, Milgram's findings remain pivotal, shedding light on the social conditions that can lead to compliance and, in extreme cases, to acts of atrocity.

Want to create maps from your material?

Enter text, upload a photo, or audio to Algor. In a few seconds, Algorino will transform it into a conceptual map, summary, and much more!

Learn with Algor Education flashcards

Click on each Card to learn more about the topic

00

Milgram argued that the tendency to follow ______ orders might lead people to act against their own ______ principles, challenging the idea that such actions were specific to ______ or a certain group like the Nazis.

authoritative

ethical

a particular culture

01

Milgram experiment initial shock level

15 volts - starting level for simulated shocks in Milgram's study.

02

Milgram experiment maximum shock level

450 volts - potential maximum, portrayed as lethal in the study.

Stanley Milgram's Obedience Experiment

Concept Map

Summary

Outline