Unveiling the Methodology- How Milgram Carried Out His Landmark Obedience Experiment

How Did Milgram Conduct His Experiment?

The Milgram experiment, conducted by Stanley Milgram in the 1960s, remains one of the most influential studies in social psychology. This experiment aimed to investigate the extent to which individuals would obey an authority figure, even if it meant causing harm to another person. The following is a detailed account of how Milgram conducted his groundbreaking experiment.

Design of the Experiment

Milgram’s experiment was designed as a study of obedience to authority. Participants were recruited through advertisements and were informed that they were taking part in a study on the effects of punishment on learning. They were paired with another participant, who was actually an actor, and were instructed that they would be administering electric shocks to the actor as he attempted to learn a list of word-pair associations.

The participants were seated in a room with a row of switches labeled with increasing voltage levels, ranging from 15 to 450 volts. The actor was placed in an adjacent room, where he could be heard but not seen. The participant was told that the shocks were real and that the voltage levels were harmful. The participant’s role was to read the word pairs to the actor and press the corresponding switch when the actor asked for the definition of a word.

Procedure of the Experiment

The experiment began with a low voltage shock, and the actor would express discomfort and ask for the experiment to stop. However, the participant was instructed by the experimenter (another actor) to continue the experiment, even if the actor persisted in asking for the experiment to end. As the voltage levels increased, the actor’s discomfort grew more intense, and he would beg for the experiment to stop or even express a desire to leave.

At certain voltage levels, the actor would fall silent or not respond to the participant’s prompts. The participant was then instructed to continue pressing the switches, despite the lack of response. The experimenter would also occasionally intervene with commands to continue, emphasizing the importance of the experiment and the need for the participant to adhere to the instructions.

Results and Discussion

The results of the Milgram experiment were astonishing. A significant number of participants continued to administer shocks at the highest voltage levels, even when the actor was silent or expressed a desire to stop. This demonstrated the strong influence of authority on individuals and their willingness to obey, even when it meant causing harm to another person.

The experiment raised several ethical concerns, as it was later discovered that the shocks were not real, and the actor was not actually in danger. However, the study’s findings have had a profound impact on our understanding of obedience, authority, and the potential dangers of blind adherence to orders.

In conclusion, Milgram’s experiment was a groundbreaking study that revealed the power of authority and the extent to which individuals will obey it, even at the expense of their own moral compass. The meticulous design and procedure of the experiment have contributed to its enduring significance in the field of social psychology.