Aim: To investigate obedience by replicating Milgram’s study to examine situation factors affecting obedience to authority figures. To test if there is a gender difference in obedience.
Procedure: Advert responses. Ppts were screened for if they knew Milgram’s work, mental health, drug dependency. Second screening on age, occupation, education, ethnicity. Final clinical screening as an interview to see if anyone may react negatively to experiment. 70 ppts left. (29 men/41 women)
Ppts randomly assigned into two groups. Told study was on learning & punishment. Drew lots to see who was teacher and learner.
Consent was obtained from the ppts, they were being videotaped and were told they could leave at any point and keep the $50. They attempted to learn 25 pair words & wrong answer = shock. Schock from 15-450V, which increased by 15V.
Used same verbal prods, but the experiment finished at 150v.
Modelled Refusal: Same as base condition except one confederate was a second teacher. Confederate started & didn’t hesitate up to 75v, 90v hearing grunts & said to experiment ‘I’m not sure about this’. Ppt was asked to continue from 90v.
Results: 12 (30%) stopped at 150v, or earlier 6male, 6 female. 28 (70%) went to continue after 150v. 12 men and 16 female.
Mod refusal: 11 (77.1%) stopped at 150v or earlier. 19 (63.3%) went to continue after 150v. Modelled refusal had verbal prods earlier, suggesting they were looking to stop but didn’t have the chance as confederate did till 90v.
Results showed little difference in obedience between men and women.
Conclusion: Results showed similarity to mailgrams work, showing time & change in society’s culture didn’t affect obedience.
Burger suggests same situational factors must be around today since there was high similarities, even after an altered procedure & people kept obeying. Ppts were told they could leave at any time & kept payment but still obeyed.
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
| High G – Burger used both male and female sample 70 (29 men 41 women) with age range of 20-81 – includes both gender & wider gen to population.
High R – there was control over lab with standardized procedure such as same verbal prods, same recording, instructions – easy to replicate to test for consistencies High R – replicate of Milgram’s experiment which got similar results. (65%) and (70%) obedience – therefore shows results are reliable as test re-test. A – Burger found that the situation factors around today are similar to those in Milgram’s time as her found 70% of his ppts had obedience and wanted to continue past 150V – can help justify horrific events such as holocaust & explain why Germans are obedient. |
Low ecological – because the experiment was conducted in a lab similar to mailgrams – ppts may not be acting naturally to obedience as they are in an artificial setting.
Low task- ppts were asked to administer shocks ranging from 15-450v – therefore this lacks mundane realism since it involves which isn’t natural. Low ethics – ppts thought the aim was to do with educational and punishment – therefore meaning ppts weren’t aware of nature of the experiment. |