Famous Obedience Experiments Beyond Milgram: A Comparative Analysis

Question

Hey everyone! 👋 I'm really trying to get my head around famous obedience experiments, but I feel like everyone just talks about Milgram. Are there other big ones that are just as important? I'd love to understand how they compare and what we learn from them. Psychology is so fascinating! 🤔

white.tammy35 · Accepted Answer

🧠 Understanding Obedience Experiments: A Core Concept🧐 What are they? Scientific investigations into how individuals respond to authority figures, even when asked to perform actions that conflict with their personal conscience or moral code.⚖️ Ethical Dilemmas: Often involve complex ethical considerations due to the potential psychological impact on participants.🌍 Societal Relevance: Shed light on historical events like genocides and everyday compliance in various settings.📜 The Genesis of Obedience Studies Beyond Milgram💡 Milgram's Legacy: While Stanley Milgram's 1960s experiments are foundational, they spurred further inquiry into the nuances of obedience.🔍 Expanding the Scope: Researchers sought to explore obedience in different contexts, with varying power dynamics and ethical frameworks.🕰️ Post-WWII Context: Many of these studies emerged from a desire to understand the psychological mechanisms behind atrocities committed under orders.🔑 Core Psychological Principles Governing Obedience👤 Agentic State: The psychological shift where individuals view themselves as instruments for executing an authority figure's wishes, thereby feeling less personal responsibility.📈 Gradual Commitment: The tendency for people to comply with increasingly demanding requests after agreeing to smaller, initial ones.📏 Authority's Legitimacy: The perceived right of an authority figure to issue commands, often influenced by symbols (uniforms, titles) or institutional backing.🚪 Foot-in-the-Door Technique: A compliance strategy where agreeing to a small request makes it more likely to agree to a larger request later.↔️ Proximity to Victim/Authority: How physical and emotional distance from the victim and proximity to the authority figure influence obedience levels.🧪 Famous Obedience Experiments Beyond Milgram: A Comparative Analysis🔬 Experiment🗓️ Year🎯 Focus📝 Key Findings↔️ Comparison to Milgram🏥 Hofling Hospital Study1966Investigating obedience to medical authority in a real hospital setting.21 out of 22 nurses were willing to administer a dangerous, unauthorized drug dose from an unknown doctor over the phone, despite clear hospital rules.Demonstrated obedience in a professional, real-world context, highlighting institutional authority and professional norms over ethical guidelines. Less direct harm inflicted by participants, but potential for it.🔒 Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo)1971Examining the psychological effects of perceived power, authority, and situational roles.Participants quickly adopted their assigned roles (guards became authoritarian, prisoners became submissive), leading to abusive behavior and psychological distress, forcing early termination.Focused on how roles and situations dictate behavior, rather than direct commands from a single authority figure. Showed the power of institutional context in shaping obedience and cruelty.📺 The Game of Death (La Zone Xtrême)2010A French TV show replicating Milgram's experiment with a fake game show setting.80% of contestants delivered maximum "shocks" (460 volts) to a supposed stranger, coerced by the game show host and audience encouragement.Updated Milgram's findings in a modern, media-driven context, showing that the phenomenon of obedience persists even with increased public awareness of Milgram's original study.✈️ Pilot/Co-pilot Study (Rank & Jacobson)1977Replication of Hofling's study with a more realistic, higher-stakes scenario involving nurses and a known drug.Only 2 out of 18 nurses obeyed the doctor's order to administer an excessive dose of Valium to a patient when the drug was familiar and the doctor was known, suggesting familiarity and peer consultation reduce obedience.Challenged Hofling's findings by introducing variables (known drug, opportunity for peer consultation) that significantly reduced obedience, emphasizing the role of situational factors and knowledge.📚 Burger's Replication of Milgram2009A partial replication of Milgram's experiment with modern ethical safeguards to assess obedience levels today.Found obedience rates only slightly lower than Milgram's (70% willing to go past 150V), suggesting that the tendency to obey authority has not significantly decreased over time.Directly replicated and updated Milgram, confirming the enduring power of authority while adhering to contemporary ethical standards (e.g., stopping at 150V, prescreening participants).🎉 Key Takeaways and Future Directions in Obedience Research🎯 Enduring Relevance: Obedience to authority remains a powerful and complex human behavior, influenced by situational, psychological, and institutional factors.🚨 Ethical Considerations: Modern research prioritizes participant well-being, leading to modified experimental designs and greater scrutiny.🌐 Broader Implications: Understanding obedience helps us critically analyze social structures, power dynamics, and individual responsibility in various real-world scenarios.🚀 Future Research: Continued exploration of cultural differences, technological influences, and the neurobiological underpinnings of obedience.

Famous Obedience Experiments Beyond Milgram: A Comparative Analysis

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🧠 Understanding Obedience Experiments: A Core Concept

📜 The Genesis of Obedience Studies Beyond Milgram

🔑 Core Psychological Principles Governing Obedience

🧪 Famous Obedience Experiments Beyond Milgram: A Comparative Analysis

🎉 Key Takeaways and Future Directions in Obedience Research

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🔬 Experiment	🗓️ Year	🎯 Focus	📝 Key Findings	↔️ Comparison to Milgram
🏥 Hofling Hospital Study	1966	Investigating obedience to medical authority in a real hospital setting.	21 out of 22 nurses were willing to administer a dangerous, unauthorized drug dose from an unknown doctor over the phone, despite clear hospital rules.	Demonstrated obedience in a professional, real-world context, highlighting institutional authority and professional norms over ethical guidelines. Less direct harm inflicted by participants, but potential for it.
🔒 Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo)	1971	Examining the psychological effects of perceived power, authority, and situational roles.	Participants quickly adopted their assigned roles (guards became authoritarian, prisoners became submissive), leading to abusive behavior and psychological distress, forcing early termination.	Focused on how roles and situations dictate behavior, rather than direct commands from a single authority figure. Showed the power of institutional context in shaping obedience and cruelty.
📺 The Game of Death (La Zone Xtrême)	2010	A French TV show replicating Milgram's experiment with a fake game show setting.	80% of contestants delivered maximum "shocks" (460 volts) to a supposed stranger, coerced by the game show host and audience encouragement.	Updated Milgram's findings in a modern, media-driven context, showing that the phenomenon of obedience persists even with increased public awareness of Milgram's original study.
✈️ Pilot/Co-pilot Study (Rank & Jacobson)	1977	Replication of Hofling's study with a more realistic, higher-stakes scenario involving nurses and a known drug.	Only 2 out of 18 nurses obeyed the doctor's order to administer an excessive dose of Valium to a patient when the drug was familiar and the doctor was known, suggesting familiarity and peer consultation reduce obedience.	Challenged Hofling's findings by introducing variables (known drug, opportunity for peer consultation) that significantly reduced obedience, emphasizing the role of situational factors and knowledge.
📚 Burger's Replication of Milgram	2009	A partial replication of Milgram's experiment with modern ethical safeguards to assess obedience levels today.	Found obedience rates only slightly lower than Milgram's (70% willing to go past 150V), suggesting that the tendency to obey authority has not significantly decreased over time.	Directly replicated and updated Milgram, confirming the enduring power of authority while adhering to contemporary ethical standards (e.g., stopping at 150V, prescreening participants).