Chapter 7: ConformityReasons for Obeying (Milgram)Ethics of Milgram’s ExperimentUpdates on MilgramPowerPoint PresentationApplication: Cult Behavior and the Jonestown MassacreCHAPTER 7: CONFORMITYPart 3: Oct. 19, 2011REASONS FOR OBEYING (MILGRAM)•Normative & informational sources were strong in Milgram’s study •Explains their initial obedience, but why continue to extreme?•1) Conforming to the wrong norm? (obey vs. help others)–Hard to stop following an earlier norm when it becomes inappropriate–Fast-paced experiment & subject had to attend to other details•2) Self-justification–Similar to sequential request strategies: –Small increase in levels of shock as experiment progressed dissonance•3) Loss of personal responsibility–Just following orders from legitimate authority (experimenter)–Zimbardo’s research on execution teams in prisons–Compared to fellow guards who didn’t execute…more disengagement –Saw them as threat, dehumanizedETHICS OF MILGRAM’S EXPERIMENT•Criticized for many reasons:–Deception – thought shocks were real, they weren’t–No true informed consent – not told of real purpose–Created psychological distress for participants–Right to withdraw – not told of this right; ‘you must continue’–“Inflicted insight” – after the study, some learned things about themselves they hadn’t agreed to beforehand•Milgram’s arguments about benefits of the study•What we learned about human nature offset trauma to participants•Ethical guidelines for experiments in the U.S. created in 1966•Made obedience studies problematic; not done again until 2006UPDATES ON MILGRAM•Burger’s (2009) experiment: replicated basic procedure•Similarity to Milgram:•Same ‘prods’ to order participants to continue•Adult participants recruited through ads (average age in 40s)•Differences from Milgram’s original study:•Reduced distress by stopping study after 150 volts•When disobedience occurred for Milgram, it was by 150 v•Participants prescreened by clinical psychologist to exclude some•Those w >2 college courses were excluded (awareness)•Participants were repeatedly told they could leave at any time•Results?•No signif differences in obedience rate from Milgram up to max level of shock•70% obeyed and would have continued…•Are people evil & ready to inflict pain w/any excuse?•Migram’s follow-up: ‘choose any level of shock you want’ •Only 2.5% voluntarily chose max voltage•Reeder & Pryor’s analysis this: social pressures combined w/situation to create obedience rate•Most people make the FAE when reading Milgram’s studies –We assume the participants were evil (internal attribution) and overlook the situational influences.APPLICATION: CULT BEHAVIOR AND THE JONESTOWN MASSACRE1978 mass suicide at “Jonestown”People’s Temple with Jim Jones as leader moved from SF to S. American jungle. 910 people killed themselves on Jones’ commandMany explanations focus on Jones’ charisma.But, situational explanations too:Jones used ‘foot-in-the-door’Required to give 10% income then 25% then everythingRemoved them from social supportIn remote location, foreign countySet up ingroup/outgroup
View Full Document
Unlocking...