The Milgram obedience experiment tested how far ordinary people would go in obeying an authority figure, even when their actions appeared to harm another person. This cheat sheet helps students understand the study's purpose, setup, results, and lasting importance in psychology. It is especially useful for reviewing research methods, social influence, ethics, and evaluation points for exams.
The core study involved a teacher, a learner, and an experimenter in a laboratory setting at Yale University. Participants believed they were giving increasingly severe electric shocks for wrong answers, but the learner was an actor and no real shocks were given. Milgram found that 65 percent of participants continued to the maximum 450 volts, showing that situational pressure can strongly influence obedience.
Key Facts
- Milgram's main aim was to investigate whether ordinary people would obey an authority figure when instructed to harm another person.
- The baseline study used 40 male participants aged 20 to 50 who were recruited through newspaper advertisements and paid for taking part.
- Participants were assigned the role of teacher, while the learner was a confederate who only pretended to receive electric shocks.
- The shock generator ranged from 15 volts to 450 volts, increasing by 15 volts after each wrong answer.
- In the baseline condition, 26 out of 40 participants, or 65 percent, administered the maximum 450-volt shock.
- Standardized verbal prompts such as 'Please continue' and 'The experiment requires that you continue' were used to pressure participants to obey.
- Milgram argued that obedience increased when the authority figure seemed legitimate, the setting seemed scientific, and responsibility felt shifted to the experimenter.
- Major ethical concerns include deception, psychological stress, limited right to withdraw, and the need for thorough debriefing after participation.
Vocabulary
- Obedience
- Obedience is a form of social influence in which a person follows a direct order from an authority figure.
- Authority figure
- An authority figure is a person who is perceived as having legitimate power to give instructions or commands.
- Confederate
- A confederate is a person who appears to be a participant but is actually working with the researcher.
- Deception
- Deception occurs when participants are misled or not fully informed about the true purpose or details of a study.
- Agentic state
- The agentic state is a mental state in which a person sees themselves as carrying out another person's wishes rather than acting independently.
- Debriefing
- Debriefing is the process of explaining the true purpose, procedures, and ethical issues of a study to participants after it ends.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Saying Milgram proved people are naturally cruel is wrong because the study focused on situational pressure and obedience to authority, not personality alone.
- Forgetting that the shocks were fake is wrong because the learner was a confederate and no real electric shocks were delivered.
- Claiming all participants obeyed to 450 volts is wrong because 65 percent reached the maximum, while 35 percent stopped before the end.
- Ignoring ethical issues is wrong because deception, distress, and withdrawal problems are central to evaluating the study.
- Assuming Milgram's results apply equally to all people and cultures is wrong because the original sample was limited and later variations found different obedience rates.
Practice Questions
- 1 In Milgram's baseline study, 26 out of 40 participants reached 450 volts. What percentage obeyed to the maximum level?
- 2 The shock generator increased by 15 volts each step. How many shock levels are there from 15 volts to 450 volts inclusive?
- 3 If a variation of the study found that 16 out of 40 participants reached 450 volts, what percentage obeyed to the maximum level?
- 4 Explain why the presence of a legitimate authority figure might increase obedience, even when a participant feels uncomfortable.