Social Influence
Research
Is it ethical?
Is it valid?
Campbell Russell
The four big boys
•Asch
•Milgram
•Zimbardo
•Moscovici
• Series of
experiments most
done with 1
participant and 5-8
confederates
• Real participant
would give their
judgment after
several
confederates had
already given
theirs
Asch
• What did he do for us?
• He told us the amazing fact that
people will conform to a
majority influence.
• He “set up” individual students
to conform to a majority in an
unambiguous setting.
Milgram
• What did Milgram do for us
• He gave us some shocking results!
• He demonstrated just how obedient we are
• He showed that obedience can be explained in a
number of ways
Zimbardo
• What did
Zimbardo do for
us?
• He showed us that we
might all adopt roles in
certain settings.
• His prison simulation
showed how easy it is
to get “prisoners” to
acquiesce and
“guards” to become
brutal bullies.
Were they ethical?
• Asch
• No. He caused embarrassment
to his subjects (harm) and he
certainly deceived them.
Were they ethical?
• Milgram
• Get out! Ethical? He had grown
men weeping. There was
deception, of course, as well.
Were they ethical?
• Zimbardo
• Now you’re having a laugh.
Let’s just think about it. There
was no deception, but I think
the methods might just be
described as harmful!
Were they justified?
• Costs against benefits
Were they justified?
• Asch showed that conformity was
not just about being led because we
are not sure – an ambiguous
situation.
• Asch demonstrated that we conform
because we want to be part of the
group – that we’ll conform even if the
group is wrong and we know it. This
is a real insight into human
behaviour.
Were they justified?
• Milgram showed the power of
obedience
• He showed us that those who
obeyed in such extremes as the
Nazi death camps were a bit
like you and me … scary or
what?
Were they justified?
• Zimbardo showed us the power
that roles can influence on us.
You might think you wouldn’t do
such a thing, but Zimbardo
makes you re-think this.
Were they justified?
•If you were asked
whether you would
conform to a majority
that you knew was
wrong, what would
you do?
Were they justified?
• If you were asked whether you
would continue to electrocute
someone who was clearly in
distress because you were told
to continue, what would you
say?
• Or if you were asked how you
might behave if you were a
prison guard?
Were they justified?
• This is what Aronson did. On
the Milgram question he asked
his students how many would
have continued to the end – not
even the local psychopath was
present it seems!
Were they justified?
• Three arguments basically
• Some were, some weren’t
• All were
• None were
Were they justified?
• Think about what the research
added to our understanding against
the cost.
• It is legitimate to argue that the
benefits of Milgram – increasing our
understanding of obedience (if not of
the Holocaust) – outweighs the pain
endured by the individuals. Anyhow
we are told (by Milgram admittedly)
that most said they were “glad to
have taken part”.
Were they justified?
• And what did big Phil say about
locking kids up ….
• It was unethical, but there were
benefits
Is the research valid?
• What is validity?
• Does it really
measure what it
claims? In
particular here,
were the
participants
fooled
• People sure
seemed fooled!
• Look at the faces
of the p’s in Asch’s
experiment.
• In Milgram p’s
sweated, had a
convulsion in one
case, swore at
Milgram .. Was this
just over-acting?
Is the research valid?
• Does it seem
real?
• Is there a
problem with
the setting or
the “real world”
context that
could make the
results not
suitable for
generalisation?
• Asch’s
experiment was
a ‘child of our
times’. (Perrin
and Spencer
1980)
• Does this make
it invalid, or is it
a warning
against the
culture of witch-
Is the research valid?
• Asch
• Was he measuring conformity or how
important being accepted into a
group of strangers is to us?
• How often are we in this situation?
Simplicity and stranger argument.
• We don’t have to give an opinion is
real life.
Is the research valid?
• Milgram
• Is the obedience a demand
characteristic?
• Were they fooled?
• Is it real life?
• Hofling is often quoted as
showing “real life” obedience
but beware.
• There is cross-cultural support
Is the research valid?
•
•
•
•
Zimbardo
What was he measuring?
Everyone knew it wasn’t “real”
Yet his simulation seems to
have reflected the reality in
many prisons
Questions
• Consider whether
the findings from
social influence
research (e.g.Asch,
Milgram, Zimbardo)
can justify the
methods used to
obtain such
findings. (18
marks)
• Do you have to
use Asch et al?
• Do you need to
argue it is
justified or not?
Questions
• What does
• Outline some
“some” mean?
criticisms of
majority
• Which research
influence
can you use?
research and
consider
whether these • What does
outline mean?
are fair. (18
marks)