Milgram (obedience) Case

Explain the weakness in Milgram's (obedience) study. 

• The way all the variables were controlled.
• The lack of variety in participants.
• The way that the verbal prods were used in the same sequence for each subject.
• How the same shock machine was used for all the participants and labeled with the same shock increments. 

Describe how strong the level of obedience was in the Milgram (obedience) study.

• Participants obeyed everything without hesitation. (very strong)
• Participants were hesitant to continue once the subject stopped responding.
• Participants refused to participate in the experiment after the sample shock.
• Participants all varied in their obedience levels, but a great majority were hesitantly obedient.

Explain what Milgram aimed to find out about obedience in the Milgram (obedience) study.

• The level of obedience a subject would show an authority figure. 
• An explanation of how people  were capable of committing such acts of malice during the Holocaust.
• How a stressful situation can impact an individual's sense of obedience.
• How far a person would be willing to go knowing that they are hurting another person.

Explain one reason why some participants decided to continue up to the point of 450 volts.

• They were obeying orders from authority. 
• They wanted to cause harm towards the subjects.
• They were brainwashed.
• They knew it wasn't real and that the subjects weren't actually getting electrocuted.

Describe two features of the experiment by Milgram that may explain the high levels of obedience he found.

• The way the experiment took place in a lab and looked legitimate. Also, the way that the subjects didn't seem to have the strength to rebel.
• How the subjects enjoyed being part of such a prestigious experiment & the way they were grasping for fame with their participation.
• The subjects were sadistic and enjoyed bearing witness to other people's pain & the fact that they were getting paid to do it.
• The fact that the experiment took place at Yale University (unimpeachable rep.) & the fact that the subject was paid to be there.

Explain one reason why some participants decided to stop before 450 volts.

• They got bored.
• They were told to stop the experiment.
• They felt guilty about "pain" caused to the subject.
• There was no 450 volt shock listed in the shock generator.

Explain one reason why obedience is so vital in a functional society. 

• People like to obey orders.
• Everyone respects each other.
• Everyone is terrified of authority.
• People do not want unnecessary confrontation. 

According to Milgram, his study on obedience produced two surprising findings. Describe what these to surprises were.

• The fact that the subjects felt obligated to be there because they were getting payed and how obedient they were.
• How the subjects felt the need to continue because of the verbal prods and the fact that it was a study conducted at Yale.
• The level of obedience exhibited by the subjects throughout the experiment and their reactions to their actions (tension).
• The way in which the candidates were so willing to give the shocks and the way that they all enjoyed hurting the learner.

In the study by Milgram (obedience), a "teacher" and a "learner" were included.  Who was being observed, the teacher or the learner, and from where?

• The teacher was being observed
    from the lab.
• The learner was being observed from the lab.
• The learner was being observed from the hospital.
• The teacher was being observed from the hospit

From the study by Milgram (obedience) a shock generator was used as an apparatus. Explain why this apparatus was necessary to the study.

• For recreational purposes.
• In order for the patient to administer shocks to the learner.
• In order for the learner to administer shocks to the patient.
• To test out a new device on people who volunteered.