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The main measure of how reliable a psyc

standardised procedure for each particip

the same rooms were used during the ex

the participants had a similar experience

studies could be repeated, to test wheth

Milgram himself, among other psycholo

Milgrams work was ofpractical value b

a tendency towards destructive obedien

his work had wider benefits to society as

future, as the one which triggered Milgra

The study helps us to understand how hi

the moral code they normally lived by.

1 The participants had to complete an

an electric shock whenever they didn

protected from their actions because

Thus, it could be argued the experim

However, Milgram tried to ensure th

volt shock at the start. The obvious st

happening was real, so this would su

2 The study took place in a laboratory i

reputation. This is an unnatural setti

be usual. This means that the experi

3 As Milgrams sample of participants c

experiment had some population val

However, Milgram later repeated the

Experiment), and many other psychol

tended to produce similar patterns (t

women in the experiment was almos

in fact have definite population validi

An evaluation of how reli

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hological study is will more often than not be its repl

ant for example, the same script was used by the l

periment; and identical equipment was used each ti

, so there was no bias in the experiment. The strong

er the findings were reliable and the experiment w

ists, afterwards.

REAL WORLD APPLICATION

cause it showed that individuals have

ce. He believed that, by showing this,

it could avoid such incidents in the

ms investigations the Holocaust.

storical events such as this could happen, where peo

VALIDITY

rtificial task by asking the learner to remember wor

t remember correctly. Many theories suggest that m

they assumed whatever happened at Yale was fine a

nt lacked experimental validity

participants thought the situation was real, for exa

ress experienced by participants implies that most di

gest that in fact there was some experimental validit

n Yale University, a very well-respected university wit

g for most people, which suggests that normal beha

ent lacked ecological validity

onsisted of adult males from a range of backgrounds

idity, but only for American male adults

study in a large number of variations (see 1.4 Variati

logists have repeated the experiment. What was noti

he number of participants who continued to the full

the same as with the original mens experiment), an

ty

ETHICS

The biggest criticism of Milgrams study has alw

grounds. There are 5 important guidelines to co

deceit, right to withdraw, debriefing and compe

page you will see in-depth analysis of each of th

ble and ethical Milgrams 1963 experiment was

DDeessttrroobbeeyyiinngg

yyoouurrsseellff

icability. Milgram used a

arner and experimenter;

e. This ensured that all

ontrols meant that the

s, indeed, repeated by

le obeyed orders against

pairs and then administer

ost participants felt

nd so trusted the study.

ple, by giving them a 45

d believe that what was

y in his method

h an extremely popular

iour wouldnt necessarily

it could be said that the

ons of the Milgram

ced is how the results

50V shock when it was all

d so you might say it did

ays been on ethical

nsider: informed consent,

tence. On the following

ese guidelines.

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Informed Consent In the study,

details on the true nature of the expe

the experimenters did not gain corre

consider that had the participants be

not real, the results gathered would

obedience and behaviour because th

consequences of their actions were n

for informed consent but did try to b

would like to take part in such a stud

ethical is to ask the participants befo

deception is necessary this is prior

Dece

but (a

Exam

believ

on m

and n

Right to Withdraw There is a lo

the right to withdraw. Whilst the part

being forced to continue, they were s

experimenter, and the experimenter

teacher such as the experiment reqmade the subject feel they had to go

wanted to stop, they were strongly u

they did not have a true right to with

De

and

the

imp

ran

The

exp

Competence Milgram knew the

guidelines, did not feel the need to g

who had his PhD for three years; ma

as a result of the experiment; adhere

stored the data. However, the partici

ethical as a whole, but the fact that

what he was doing means it wasnt n

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the participants were not given the full

riment, so it initially sounds as though

t informed consent, but you have to

n aware that the electric shocks were

ot have been a clear indication of their

y would have known that the

ot real. Milgram therefore could not ask

ethical so asked participants if they

and they did this is presumptive consent. Anothe

e the study if they agree to take part, but inform the

onsent

ption There was a severe amount of deception in

s before) this was all necessary for the results of the

les of the deception used include faking the shocks, l

e they were given the teacher role by chance, telling

mory and forgetfulness, telling them the learner and

ot actors, and many more

t of controversy over ethics regarding

icipants were free to leave and were not

trongly encouraged to carry on by the

even had a script with lines to tell the

ires that you continue which almoston. When the participants said that they

ged to continue, thus it might be argued

raw, making the study unethical

riefing Because the experiment was very stressf

it involved a lot deception, the debriefing process wa

participants would have come to realise that had the

roving experiment been real, they would have admi

om strangers, showing them they had the capability

efore it is important for them and the experimenter

riment to ensure they are in a safe mental state bef

ossible implications of the study; understood the et

t advice from others; was suitably qualified as a scie

e sure that nobody would come to any immediate h

d to the Data Protection Act and easily and correctly

pants became distressed, making the experiment less

ilgram was competent to run the experiment and kn

cessarily unethical as a whole

way of remaining

m that sometimes

Milgrams experiment,

xperiment to be valid.

leading participants to

them it was for a study

experimenter were real

l for the participants

s essential. Additionally,

fake memory

istered lethal shocks to

to commit murder.

o fully evaluate the

re going home

ical

tist

rm

ew