Milgram Experiment - Big History NL, threshold 6

Summary

In 1962, Yale University conducted an experiment to understand obedience to authority. Participants were instructed to administer increasing electric shocks to a 'learner' for incorrect answers, under the direction of an authority figure. Despite the 'learner's' apparent distress, 65% of subjects continued to the maximum shock level. The experiment revealed the disturbing extent to which people comply with authority, even when it conflicts with their moral judgment.

Takeaways

• 🔬 The script discusses the disturbing phenomenon of ordinary people committing heinous acts under the guise of authority, referencing the Nazi atrocities during World War II.
• 🧠 It highlights the importance of understanding how social psychology can provide insights into the behavior of individuals when faced with authority.
• 📚 The script refers to a specific experiment conducted by Stanley Milgram at Yale University in 1962 to study obedience to authority.
• 👨‍🔬 The experiment involved 40 male participants, aged between 20 and 50, from the Greater New Haven area.
• 🤔 The experiment aimed to answer questions about the conditions under which people would obey authority figures, even if it meant going against their conscience.
• 🔋 Participants were asked to administer electric shocks to a 'learner' for each incorrect answer in a word pair test, starting at 15 volts and increasing with each mistake.
• 📈 The 'shock generator' was rigged, and the 'learner' was an actor who provided standardized responses to simulate pain.
• 👨‍🏫 The experimenter, in a white coat, pressured participants to continue administering shocks, even as they expressed discomfort.
• 😱 The results were shocking, with approximately 65% of participants obeying the authority figure and administering the maximum voltage.
• 📖 Milgram's experiment is still taught in classrooms today, emphasizing the lasting impact and relevance of the study on human behavior and obedience.
• ⚠️ The script concludes with a warning about the dangers of obeying unjust authority figures and the potential for immoral actions when under such pressure.

Q & A

What event is the speaker referencing at the beginning of the script?

The speaker is referencing the atrocities of the Holocaust, specifically the massacre of millions of men, women, and children perpetrated by the Nazis during World War II.

What psychological question did the speaker want to explore in their study?

The speaker wanted to explore the conditions under which a person would obey authority, even if the authority commanded actions that went against their conscience.

Where and when was the experiment conducted?

The experiment was conducted at Yale University in May 1962.

Who were the participants in the experiment?

The participants were 40 males between the ages of 20 and 50 residing in the Greater New Haven area.

What was the main theory about learning that the psychologists developed?

One theory developed by psychologists is that people learn correctly whenever they are punished for making a mistake.

What was the purpose of the shock generator in the experiment?

The shock generator was used in a word-pair test where the 'teacher' (participant) would administer electric shocks to the 'learner' (who was actually an accomplice of the experiment) whenever the learner gave a wrong answer.

How was the experiment rigged?

The learner was an accomplice of the experiment, and the shocks were simulated. The learner made convincing sounds of pain at increasing shock levels, but in reality, no shocks were administered.

What were the voltage levels and labels on the shock generator?

The shock generator had switches ranging from 15 volts to 450 volts. The labels ranged from 'slight shock' to 'danger: severe shock' and ended with 'xxx.'

What was the surprising and disturbing result of Milgram's experiment?

The experiment showed that about 65% of participants, despite the learner's apparent distress, were willing to administer the maximum shock level (450 volts) under the pressure of an authority figure.

What broader lesson can be drawn from Milgram's experiment?

The experiment demonstrated that people are capable of obeying immoral commands when under pressure from an authority figure, which can lead to harmful or unjust actions.