The main purpose of the Milgram Experiment conducted by Stanley Milgram at Yale University in 1961 was b. To investigate the effects of authority on obedience.

Here are the steps explaining the purpose:

1. Stanley Milgram, a psychologist at Yale University, conducted an experiment focusing on the conflict between obedience to authority and personal conscience.

2. He examined justifications for acts of genocide offered by those accused at the World War II, Nuremberg War Criminal trials. Their defense often was based on "obedience" - that they were just following orders from their superiors.

3. The experiments began in July 1961, a year after the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem. Milgram devised the experiment to answer the question: "Could it be that Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders? Could we call them all accomplices?"

4. The participants in the Milgram experiment were 40 men recruited using newspaper ads. In exchange for their participation, each person was paid $4.50.

5. Milgram developed an intimidating shock generator, with shock levels starting at 30 volts and increasing in 15-volt increments all the way up to 450 volts. The many switches were labeled with terms including "slight shock," "moderate shock" and "danger: severe shock". The final two switches were labeled simply with an ominous "XXX".

6. Each participant took the role of a "teacher" who would then deliver a shock to the "student" every time an incorrect answer was produced. While the participant believed that he was delivering real shocks to the student, the student was actually a confederate in the experiment who was simply pretending to be shocked.

7. As the experiment progressed, the participant would hear the learner plead to be released or even complain about a heart condition. Once the 300-volt level had been reached, the learner banged on the wall and demanded to be released. Beyond this point, the learner became completely silent and refused to answer any more questions. The experimenter then instructed the participant to treat this silence as an incorrect response and deliver a further shock.

8. Most participants asked the experimenter whether they should continue. The experimenter issued a series of commands to prod the participant along:

- "Please continue."
- "The experiment requires that you continue."
- "It is absolutely essential that you continue."
- "You have no other choice, you must go on."

9. The level of shock that the participant was willing to deliver was used as the measure of obedience. How far the participant was willing to go on the shock generator was the dependent variable in this study.

10. The results of the Milgram experiment showed that a high proportion of people would fully obey the instructions, even when explicitly asked to behave inhumanely and inflict serious pain and distress. These results were taken to suggest that people are much more obedient than they believe themselves to be.

11. A few subjects began to laugh nervously or exhibit other signs of extreme stress once they heard the screams of pain coming from the learner.

12. If at any time the subject indicated his desire to halt the experiment, he was given a succession of verbal prods by the experimenter, in this order:

- "Please continue."
- "The experiment requires that you continue."
- "It is absolutely essential that you continue."
- "You have no other choice, you must go on."

13. If the subject still wished to stop after all four successive verbal prods, the experiment was halted. Otherwise, it was halted after the subject had given the maximum 450-volt shock three times in succession.

14. The Milgram experiment was carried out many times whereby Milgram varied the basic procedure (changed the IV). By doing this Milgram could identify which factors affected obedience (the DV).

15. Stanley Milgram did more than one experiment – he carried out 18 variations of his study. All he did was alter the situation (IV) to see how this affected obedience (DV).

So, the main purpose of the Milgram Experiment was to investigate the effects of authority on obedience.

Question

The main purpose of the Milgram Experiment conducted by Stanley Milgram at Yale University in 1961 was b. To investigate the effects of authority on obedience.

Here are the steps explaining the purpose:

1. Stanley Milgram, a psychologist at Yale University, conducted an experiment focusing on the conflict between obedience to authority and personal conscience.

2. He examined justifications for acts of genocide offered by those accused at the World War II, Nuremberg War Criminal trials. Their defense often was based on "obedience" - that they were just following orders from their superiors.

3. The experiments began in July 1961, a year after the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem. Milgram devised the experiment to answer the question: "Could it be that Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders? Could we call them all accomplices?"

4. The participants in the Milgram experiment were 40 men recruited using newspaper ads. In exchange for their participation, each person was paid $4.50.

5. Milgram developed an intimidating shock generator, with shock levels starting at 30 volts and increasing in 15-volt increments all the way up to 450 volts. The many switches were labeled with terms including "slight shock," "moderate shock" and "danger: severe shock". The final two switches were labeled simply with an ominous "XXX".

6. Each participant took the role of a "teacher" who would then deliver a shock to the "student" every time an incorrect answer was produced. While the participant believed that he was delivering real shocks to the student, the student was actually a confederate in the experiment who was simply pretending to be shocked.

7. As the experiment progressed, the participant would hear the learner plead to be released or even complain about a heart condition. Once the 300-volt level had been reached, the learner banged on the wall and demanded to be released. Beyond this point, the learner became completely silent and refused to answer any more questions. The experimenter then instructed the participant to treat this silence as an incorrect response and deliver a further shock.

8. Most participants asked the experimenter whether they should continue. The experimenter issued a series of commands to prod the participant along:

- "Please continue."
   - "The experiment requires that you continue."
   - "It is absolutely essential that you continue."
   - "You have no other choice, you must go on."

9. The level of shock that the participant was willing to deliver was used as the measure of obedience. How far the participant was willing to go on the shock generator was the dependent variable in this study.

10. The results of the Milgram experiment showed that a high proportion of people would fully obey the instructions, even when explicitly asked to behave inhumanely and inflict serious pain and distress. These results were taken to suggest that people are much more obedient than they believe themselves to be.

11. A few subjects began to laugh nervously or exhibit other signs of extreme stress once they heard the screams of pain coming from the learner.

12. If at any time the subject indicated his desire to halt the experiment, he was given a succession of verbal prods by the experimenter, in this order:

- "Please continue."
   - "The experiment requires that you continue."
   - "It is absolutely essential that you continue."
   - "You have no other choice, you must go on."

13. If the subject still wished to stop after all four successive verbal prods, the experiment was halted. Otherwise, it was halted after the subject had given the maximum 450-volt shock three times in succession.

14. The Milgram experiment was carried out many times whereby Milgram varied the basic procedure (changed the IV). By doing this Milgram could identify which factors affected obedience (the DV).

15. Stanley Milgram did more than one experiment – he carried out 18 variations of his study. All he did was alter the situation (IV) to see how this affected obedience (DV).

So, the main purpose of the Milgram Experiment was to investigate the effects of authority on obedience.

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