The Milgram study. Newspaper add,
Arrived. Cover story. punishment
Drew lots for positions.
Learner taken to room, strapped down, electrodes, no harm.
Teacher in other room. Task was to admin words. Give shocks for mistakes. Increase. End shocks labeled as dangerous, xxx.
Situation was rigged. Learner made prearranged mistakes. Enough to go all the way. Task of teacher was to give shocks. If he asked any questions, the e, who was in the room, said please continue, or the e requires that you continue. Or no permanent harm is done…..
What were the results?
A majority of subjects went all the way.
Variations. Proximity. Hold down hand. Moved from Yale to Bridgeport. The heart condition. Tape recorded protests. Stop. Etc. Still a majority went all the way. Quite a lot of exchanges between teacher and experimenter. Sometimes experimenter said. I take complete responsibility.
What is best statement of results.
3. In an situation with some ambiguity about whether hurt or harm is happening, the assurances of an expert. Legitimate authority, who is fully informed as to the evidence for the possibility of harm, can impose one interpretation on the subordinate. Sometimes it is necessary for authority to assert responsibility.
The Gamson study.
Group of people called by market research firm. When arrived, told that it would be a group to give opinions on a topic of dispute for a company. Exxon, and a franchiser. Guy who managed a station for them.
Franchise contract had specified that the manager would conduct himself and the business in a way that did not violate community standards. Manager had lived together briefly with a woman before they got married. No publicity. Exxon had terminated his contract, and this was now being litigated.
We know in advance that most people do not think this violates community standards.
Group was to discuss this, present their opinions, and come to some resolution.
The market researcher suggested that it would be best to have various opinions rep. Assigned several to argue for the side that it was an offense to community standards, others….. Agreed, and taping began.
Session was recorded.
At end of session, asked each individual to sign a release, allowing the market researcher to show the tape during the course of the trial, perhaps to the jury, as information about the community’s standards on the issue.
What is a possible interpret of what the market researcher really wanted?
Did the people sign the release. Gamson had a confederate planted to resist if nobody else did. Did anybody else resist? Who was likely to start the resistance? But who joined in?
Odd study. I did it here at PU.
Point is this. Two kinds of principal agent relations.
I asked lawyer. Described Milgram situation as if it were real, no confederates.
Law, two streams.
Master servant. Independent contractor.
Boat builder. Injures workman starts fire, etc.
Constructive disobedience, no, obedience.