The Milgram Experiment

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Recommended: McLeod, S. (2007). Obedience to Authority

The Milgram Experiment

A lesson in depravity, peer pressure, and the power of authority

The aftermath of the Holocaust and the events leading up to World War

II, the world was stunned with the happenings in Nazi German and their

acquired surrounding territories that came out during the Eichmann

Trials. Eichmann, a high ranking official of the Nazi Party, was on

trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The questions is,

"Could it be that Eichmann, and his million accomplices in the

Holocaust were just following orders? Could we call them all

accomplices?"

Stanley Milgram answered the call to this problem by performing a

series of studies on the Obedience to Authority. Milgram's work began

at Harvard where he was working towards his Ph.D. The experiments on

which his initial research was based were done at Yale from 1961-1962.

In response to a newspaper ad offering $4.50 for one hour's work, an

individual turns up to take part in a Psychology experiment

investigating memory and learning. He is introduced to a stern looking

experimenter in a white coat and a rather pleasant and friendly

co-subject. The experimenter explains that the experiment will look

into the role of punishment in learning, and that one will be the

"teacher" and one will be the "learner." Lots are drawn to determine

roles, and it is decided that the individual who answered the ad will

become the "teacher."

[IMAGE]Your co-subject is taken to a room where he is strapped in a

chair to prevent movement and an electrode is placed on his arm. Next,

the "teacher" is taken to an adjoining room which contains a

generator. The "teacher" is instructed to read a list of two word

pairs and ask the "learner" to read them back. If the "learner" gets

the answer correct, then they move on to the next word. If the answer

is incorrect, the "teacher" is supposed to shock the "learner"

starting at 15 volts.

The generator has 30 switches in 15 volt increments, each is labeled

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