What Did The Milgram Study Teach Us About Obedience?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

The Milgram experiment suggested

that human beings are susceptible to obeying authority

, but it also demonstrated that obedience is not inevitable.

What do we learn about obedience conformity and authority from Milgram’s experiment?

The Milgram experiment showed

the surprising degree to which people obey authority

. Two out of three (65%) participants continued to administer shocks to an unresponsive learner. Several variations of the original Milgram experiment were conducted to test the boundaries of obedience.

What did we learn from the Milgram obedience experiment?

“What Milgram’s obedience studies revealed above all was

the sheer power of social pressure

. … The fact that recent studies have replicated Milgram’s findings demonstrates that Milgram had “identified one of the universals or constants of social behavior, spanning time and place.”

Why do we obey authority the Milgram experiment?

Why is it so many people obey when they feel coerced? Social psychologist Stanley Milgram researched the effect of authority on obedience. He

concluded people obey either out of fear or out of a desire to appear cooperative–

even when acting against their own better judgment and desires.

What are the four factors that influence obedience according to Milgram?

  • Commands were given by an authority figure rather than another volunteer.
  • The experiments were done at a prestigious institution.
  • The authority figure was present in the room with the subject.
  • The learner was in another room.
  • The subject did not see other subjects disobeying commands.

What is the major problem with the original Milgram study?

What is a major problem with the original Milgram study?

Milgram lied to his respondents, making his study borderline unethical

. What is the major flaw in the Asch conformity study? Asch ignored the importance of several factors influencing conformity- race, class, and gender.

What was unethical about the Milgram experiment?

The experiment was deemed unethical,

because the participants were led to believe that they were administering shocks to real people

. The participants were unaware that the learner was an associate of Milgram’s. However, Milgram argued that deception was necessary to produce the desired outcomes of the experiment.

Why does destructive obedience occur?

This type of obedience is seen in criminal relationships, sometimes influenced by substance abuse,

where one partner has immense emotional sway over the other

. …

What was Milgram’s hypothesis?

The hypothesis tested in the Milgram experiment was that,

under the right circumstances, people would follow the directions of an authority figure to the extent of harming or even killing other people

.

How do you obey authority?

In order to obey authority,

the obeying person has to accept that it is legitimate (i.e. rightful, legal) for the command to be made of them

.

How does obedience affect behavior?

Obedience is a form of social influence that involves performing an action under the orders of an authority figure. … Instead, obedience involves

altering your behavior because a figure of authority has told you to

.

What are the 4 elements of obedience?


Timing, motivation, criteria, and rate of reinforcement

are the four elements that must be present for learning to take place. In fact, if behavior is changing these four elements are in place – the trainer may or may not be aware that they’re in place, but they are.

How is our behavior affected by the presence of others?

How is our behavior affected by the presence of others or by being part of a group? Social facilitation experiments reveal that the presence of either observers or co-

actors can arouse individuals, boosting their performance on easy tasks but hindering it on difficult ones

.

How does the presence of observers affect a person’s performance?

How does the presence of observers affect a person’s performance?

It improves performance on easy tasks and hinders a person’s performance on difficult tasks

.

What happened in the Milgram experiment?

The Milgram experiment(s) on obedience to authority figures was a series of social psychology experiments conducted by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram. … Participants were led to believe that

they were assisting an unrelated experiment

, in which they had to administer electric shocks to a “learner”.

Is the Milgram experiment accurate?

At the end of the experiment, Burger was left with an obedience rate around the same as the one Milgram had recorded—proving, he said, not only that

Milgram’s numbers had been accurate

, but that his work was as relevant as ever.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.