obedience to authority. what makes people obey authority? why do you do what i tell you to do? why...
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Obedience to Obedience to AuthorityAuthority
What Makes People Obey What Makes People Obey Authority?Authority?
Why do you do what I tell you to do?Why do you do what I tell you to do? Who else do you obey?Who else do you obey? Why?Why?
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Stanley Milgram - Stanley Milgram - BackgroundBackground
Parents were Jews in WW2
Wanted to test the “Germans are Different Hypothesis”
Do the Germans have a basic character defect, which causes them to obey authority?
Milgram’s StudyMilgram’s Study
A laboratory experiment which A laboratory experiment which took place at Yale Universitytook place at Yale University
Milgram’s ExperimentMilgram’s Experiment
3 PEOPLE :3 PEOPLE : THE EXPERIMENTERTHE EXPERIMENTER
LAB COAT AS A SYMBOL OF LAB COAT AS A SYMBOL OF AUTHORITYAUTHORITY
TEACHERTEACHER
NAÏVE PARTICIPANTNAÏVE PARTICIPANT LEARNERLEARNER
CONFEDERATECONFEDERATE
PARTICIPANTSPARTICIPANTS
RECRUITED VIA NEWSPAPER RECRUITED VIA NEWSPAPER ADVERTISMENTADVERTISMENT
INFORMED STUDY WAS ABOUT INFORMED STUDY WAS ABOUT MEMORY AND LEARNING AND EFFECTS MEMORY AND LEARNING AND EFFECTS OF PUNISHMENT ON LEARNINGOF PUNISHMENT ON LEARNING
EXPENSES AND A FEE PAIDEXPENSES AND A FEE PAID 40 MALES40 MALES WIDE VARIETY OF BACKGROUNDSWIDE VARIETY OF BACKGROUNDS
EXPERIMENTEREXPERIMENTER
31 yr old BIOLOGY TEACHER31 yr old BIOLOGY TEACHER
IMPASSIVE MANNERIMPASSIVE MANNER
STERNSTERN
WEARS A LAB COATWEARS A LAB COAT
CONFEDERATECONFEDERATE
47 yr old ACCOUNTANT47 yr old ACCOUNTANT
IRISH-AMERICANIRISH-AMERICAN
MILD-MANNERED AND LIKEABLEMILD-MANNERED AND LIKEABLE
PROCEDUREPROCEDURE
SLIPS OF PAPER TAKEN FROM HAT TO SLIPS OF PAPER TAKEN FROM HAT TO DETERMINE WHO WOULD BE TEACHERDETERMINE WHO WOULD BE TEACHER
BOTH SLIPS “TEACHER”BOTH SLIPS “TEACHER” LEARNER STRAPPED INTO ‘ELECTRIC LEARNER STRAPPED INTO ‘ELECTRIC
CHAIR’ IN A DIFFERENT ROOMCHAIR’ IN A DIFFERENT ROOM TEACHER GIVEN ‘SAMPLE SHOCK’ (45v)TEACHER GIVEN ‘SAMPLE SHOCK’ (45v) TEACHER TOLD THAT AT EVERY MISTAKE TEACHER TOLD THAT AT EVERY MISTAKE
VOLTAGE MUST BE INCREASEDVOLTAGE MUST BE INCREASED
PROCEDURE continued…PROCEDURE continued…
If participants asked about the shocks:If participants asked about the shocks: ““Although the shocks may be painful, Although the shocks may be painful,
there is no permanent tissue damage”there is no permanent tissue damage” Teacher reads out pairs of wordsTeacher reads out pairs of words Learner must respond to stimulus Learner must respond to stimulus
correctly to avoid punishment.correctly to avoid punishment. Learner deliberately gets them wrongLearner deliberately gets them wrong Teacher administers shock with each Teacher administers shock with each
wrong responsewrong response
PROCEDURE continued…PROCEDURE continued… Learner was heard to be distressed and in Learner was heard to be distressed and in
pain.pain. If teacher hesitated the experimenter used If teacher hesitated the experimenter used
the following ‘prods’:the following ‘prods’: ““Please continue”Please continue” ““The experiment requires that you The experiment requires that you
continue”continue” ““It’s absolutely essential that you It’s absolutely essential that you
continue”continue” ““You have no other choice, you must You have no other choice, you must
go on”go on”
SHOCKSSHOCKS
Each wrong answer resulted in an Each wrong answer resulted in an increase in shocks.increase in shocks.
Started at 15v (Mild Shock) and went Started at 15v (Mild Shock) and went up to 450v (Severe and Dangerous up to 450v (Severe and Dangerous Shock)Shock)
What percentage of the participants do What percentage of the participants do you think administered the highest you think administered the highest
shock of 450v?shock of 450v?
RESULTSRESULTS
100% of participants 100% of participants continued to 300v continued to 300v (Extremely intense shock)(Extremely intense shock)
65% of participants went 65% of participants went all the way up to 450vall the way up to 450v
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdb20gcc_Ns
Why did the participants Why did the participants obey?obey?
WHY DID THEY OBEY?WHY DID THEY OBEY?
YALE UNIVERSITY IS YALE UNIVERSITY IS PRESTIGIOUSPRESTIGIOUS
ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE – THOUGHT EXPERIMENT WAS – THOUGHT EXPERIMENT WAS FOR A WORTHY PURPOSEFOR A WORTHY PURPOSE
VOLUNTEER VICTIMVOLUNTEER VICTIM OBLIGATION TO EXPERIMENTEROBLIGATION TO EXPERIMENTER
WHY DID THEY OBEY?WHY DID THEY OBEY?
PAYMENTPAYMENT
COULD HAVE BEEN ME – COULD HAVE BEEN ME – THOUGHT ROLES OF LEARNER THOUGHT ROLES OF LEARNER AND TEACHER HAD BEEN AND TEACHER HAD BEEN ALLOCATED FAIRLYALLOCATED FAIRLY
WERE TOLD THE SHOCKS WERE WERE TOLD THE SHOCKS WERE PAINFUL BUT NOT DANGEROUSPAINFUL BUT NOT DANGEROUS
CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION
OrdinaryOrdinary people can follow orders people can follow orders given by an authority figure, even if given by an authority figure, even if it requires doing something it requires doing something inhumane.inhumane.
Obedience to authority is Obedience to authority is ingrainedingrained in all of us through how we are in all of us through how we are brought up.brought up.
CONCLUSION continuedCONCLUSION continued
Obedience is due to Obedience is due to situational situational factors factors – i.e. experimental settings, – i.e. experimental settings, rather than rather than dispositional factorsdispositional factors, , i.e. a deviant personalityi.e. a deviant personality