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8 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
Finding/Conclusion 1
Milgram surveyed 14 of his psychology students and they estimated that between 0–3% of the participants would administer 450 volts.
This suggests that they had very low expectations for how far up the voltage the participants would go.
Finding/Conclusion 2
At 300 volts, five (12.5%) of the participants refused to continue (the learner protested) but 26 of the 40 participants (65%) went on to administer the full 450 volts.
This sort of level of obedience was a great deal higher than that expected.
Finding/Conclusion 3
Many participants showed nervousness, and a large number showed extreme tension: 'Subjects were observed to sweat, tremble, stutter, bite their lips, groan and dig their finger-nails into their flesh'. Fourteen participants displayed 'nervous laughter and smiling'.
Their observable behaviour indicated the participants were acting against their own values in punishing the learner.
Finding/Conclusion 4
Three participants had 'full-blown uncontrollable seizures' and one participant had such a violent convulsion that the research session had to be stopped.
This indicates that these participants were exceedingly anxious about their participation in the research.
Finding/Conclusion 5
Participants replied with statements like ‘I don't think this is very humane … I'm sorry, I can't do that to a man. You take your [money].' Whereas some participants simply got up and left, without saying anything. Those who continued to the end often heaved a sigh of relief, mopped their brows, some shook their heads apparently in regret, some remained calm throughout.
This indicates there were individual differences in the way in which people responded.
Finding/Conclusion 6
92% of participants' completed a post research questionnaire and of those who responded 84% were 'glad/very glad'; 15% were 'neutral' and 2% were
'sorry/very sorry' to have taken part. 80% said more experiments like this should be carried out and 74% felt they had learned something of personal importance.
Milgram used this information to help justify his research to those who thought it unethical.
Bonus 1
Three explanations for observed obedience, for example
 The location of the study at a prestigious university provided authority.
 Participants assumed that the experimenter knew what he was doing and had a worthy purpose, so should be followed.
 It was a novel situation for the participant, who therefore didn't know how to behave. If it had been possible to discuss the situation with others the participant might have behaved differently.
Bonus 2
The situation which Milgram created was one which overwhelmingly induced obedience.
But even with this, 35% of the participants were able to disobey the direct orders of the experimenter, suggesting that many people were strongly inclined to disobey.