Asked in a 1963 paperModerate

Which of the following is true of Milgram's (1963) study of obedience? The study found that:

Correct answer: C. Apparently pathological behaviour may not be due to individual pathology but to particular social circumstances

  • A. Quite ordinary people taking part in a laboratory experiment were not prepared to administer electric shocks just because an experimenter told them to do so
  • B. Participants believed that the shocks they administered would not harm anyone
  • C. Apparently pathological behaviour may not be due to individual pathology but to particular social circumstances
  • D. None of the above

Explanation

Milgram’s findings showed that ordinary people may perform apparently harmful acts when placed under strong situational pressure from an authority figure. This demonstrates how social circumstances can produce behaviour that might otherwise be mistaken for individual pathology.

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