Obedience to Authority:The Stanley Milgram Experiments

Mr. KochAP Psychology

Forest Lake High School

Obedience = changing behavior in response to a demand from an authority figure

Milgram Obedience Studies• 40 male subjects, variety of backgrounds– Told experiment was to study effects of

punishment on learning/memory• learn word pairs

– Teacher (subject) is to increasingly shock learner for wrong answers• 15 volts (“slight shock”) – 450 volts (“XXX”)

– Learner (confederate) is strapped into chair, electrodes attached to arms• Not actually being shocked, but teachers

don’t know this – pain sounds prerecorded– When teacher would question

continuing, experimenter told him he must continue

Milgram Obedience Studies

Milgram Obedience Studies

• Results surprised everyone:– 26 out of 40 (65%) went all the way

to 450 volts (potentially lethal)– Only 5 stopped before 300 volts• Very stressful for participant – often

protested, but still obeyed

Milgram Obedience Studies• Conducted a variety of follow-up studies to further

understanding of forces influencing obedience:– Experimenter Status & Prestige

• When conducted by “private firm” in run-down rented building instead of Yale– Obedience dropped slightly (48%)

– Proximity of learner• Obedience dropped when “learner” was close by, in same room• Decreased even more when had to make contact w/ learner

(force hand down)– Proximity of authority figure

• Obedience decreased greatly when experimenter phoned in directions– Some even tried to deceive the experimenter

– Behavior of others• 3 teachers in experiment (2 confederates, 1 actual subject)

– When other 2 refused to continue, obedience dropped to only 10%

Milgram Obedience Studies

• Many have questioned the ethics of the study– Milgram defended • Participants were debriefed• Many reported positive experiences• Claimed benefits outweighed any harm

• What do you think?• What would you have done?– Obeyed? or resisted?