Page 573 - Understanding Psychology

in a nearby room. If the learner failed to recite the list back correctly, the teacher was to administer an electric shock. The alleged purpose of the experiment was to test whether the shock would have any effect on learn- ing. In actuality, however, Milgram wanted to discover how far the teacher would follow his instructions and how much shock the teacher would be willing to give another human being. Milgram surveyed a group of psychology students before the experiment. All respon- dents predicted that very few participants would be will- ing to shock the learner.
As the experiment began, the learner continually gave wrong answers, and the teacher began to admin- ister the prescribed shocks from an impressive- looking shock generator. The generator had a dial that ranged from 15 volts, which was labeled “Slight Shock,” to 450 volts, which was labeled “Danger: Severe Shock.” After each of the learner’s mistakes, the teacher was told to increase the voltage by one level. The teacher believed that the learner was receiving these shocks because he had experienced a mild sam- ple shock, had seen the learner being strapped into a chair, and had watched electrodes being attached to the learner’s hands. However, the learner received no shocks at all during the experiment.
As the experiment progressed, the learner made
many mistakes, and the teacher was instructed to give
increasingly severe shocks. At 300 volts the learner
pounded on the wall in protest and refused to provide
any further answers. At this point the experimenter
instructed the participant to treat the absence of an
answer as a wrong answer and to continue the proce-
dure. The experiment ended either when the maximum
450 volts was administered or when the teacher refused to administer any more shocks. If at any point the teacher indicated a desire to stop, the experimenter calmly said, “Whether the learner likes it or not, you must go on until he has learned all the word pairs correctly.”
Sixty-five percent of the participants delivered the full range of shocks. These participants were not sadists. Many of them showed signs of extreme tension and discomfort during the session, and they often told the experimenter that they would like to stop. Despite these feel- ings, most continued to obey the experimenter’s commands. They were ordinary people—salespeople, engineers, and postal workers—placed in an unusual situation.
What accounts for this surprisingly high level of obedience? Part of the answer is that the experimenter represents a legitimate authority. People assume that such authorities know what they are doing, even when their instructions seem to run counter to standards of moral behavior.
Figure 19.11 Going With the Group
Conforming to a group has practical expla- nations. If you see people running out of a building, you may assume that they know something you do not—that the building is on fire, for example. What are other rea- sons for conforming with a group?
Chapter 19 / Group Interaction 559