Milgram summaries
Factors That Increase Obedience
Milgram found that subjects were more likely to obey in some circumstances than others. Obedience was highest when:
Commands were given by an authority figure rather than another volunteer
The experiments were done at a prestigious institution
The authority figure was present in the room with the subject
The learner was in another room
The subject did not see other subjects disobeying commands
In everyday situations, people obey orders because they want to get rewards, because they want to avoid the negative consequences of disobeying, and because they believe an authority is legitimate. In more extreme situations, people obey even when they are required to violate their own values or commit crimes. Researchers think several factors cause people to carry obedience to extremes:
People justify their behavior by assigning responsibility to the authority rather than themselves.
People define the behavior that’s expected of them as routine.
People don’t want to be rude or offend the authority.
People obey easy commands first and then feel compelled to obey more and more difficult commands. This process is called entrapment, and it illustrates the foot-in-the-door phenomenon.
Milgram found that subjects were more likely to obey in some circumstances than others. Obedience was highest when:
Commands were given by an authority figure rather than another volunteer
The experiments were done at a prestigious institution
The authority figure was present in the room with the subject
The learner was in another room
The subject did not see other subjects disobeying commands
In everyday situations, people obey orders because they want to get rewards, because they want to avoid the negative consequences of disobeying, and because they believe an authority is legitimate. In more extreme situations, people obey even when they are required to violate their own values or commit crimes. Researchers think several factors cause people to carry obedience to extremes:
People justify their behavior by assigning responsibility to the authority rather than themselves.
People define the behavior that’s expected of them as routine.
People don’t want to be rude or offend the authority.
People obey easy commands first and then feel compelled to obey more and more difficult commands. This process is called entrapment, and it illustrates the foot-in-the-door phenomenon.