Obedience (2000) - full transcript
In 1963, Yale University places an advert in a local newspaper, calling for volunteers to participate in a memory experiment. Obedience is the story of one man who, having volunteered, ...
it is May 1962
an experiment is being conducted in the elegant interaction laboratory at Yale University
the subjects are 40 males between the ages of 20 and 50
residing in the Greater Newhaven area
they were obtained by a newspaper advertisement
and direct mail solicitation
the subjects range in occupation from
corporation presidents to good union men and plumbers
and an educational level
from one who had not finished elementary school
to subjects who have doctorate and other professional degrees
have a seat right here
now both of you have been paid
so sit right down
let me say that the cheques are yours simply for showing up at the lab
from this point on no matter what happens the money is yours
I should like to tell both of you a little about the memory project
psychologists have developed several theories to explain how people learn various types
of material
so the better known theories are treated in this book over there
The Teaching- Learning Process by Cantor
one theory is that people learn things correctly whenever
they get punished for making a mistake
a common application of this theory would be when
parents spank a child when he does something wrong
but actually we know very little about the effect of
punishment on learning because almost no truly scientific
studies have been made on human beings
for instance we don't know how much punishment is best for learning
and we don't know how much difference it makes as to who is giving the punishment
whether an adult learns best from an
older or younger person than themselves and many things of this sort
so what we are doing in the project is bringing together
a number of adults of different occupations and ages
and we're asking some of them to be teachers and some to be learners
we want to find out just what effect different people have
on each other as teachers and learners and also what effect
punishment will have on learning in this situation
therefore I am going to ask one of you to be the teacher here this afternoon and the other
to be the learner
and the way we usually decide is to let you draw from these two pieces of paper on which
I have written two positions
if this is agreeable with both of you we can do something
would you take one please
and you have the other
would you open those and tell me which of you is which please?
teacher
learner
right now the next thing we will have to do is set the
learner up so that he can get some sort of punishment
the learner would you step out here with me please?
do you want to step right in here learner and have a seat
there, you can leave your coat on the back of that chair if you will please
take it right off
that's fine
have a seat right here
and pull yourself right up to the counter please?
you may look on if you like, while we get set up in here
would you roll up your right sleeve please?
now what I am going to do is strap down your arms to avoid any
excessive movement on your part during the experiment
is that too tight?
it is alright
this electrode is connected to the shock generator in the next room
and this electrode paste is to provide a good contact to avoid any blister or burn
right now let me explain to you learner
exactly what is going to happen
and what you are supposed to do
the teacher will read a list of word pairs to you like these
blue girl, nice day, fat neck and so forth
you are to try to remember each pair
for the next time through the teacher will read only the first word or the first half
of the word pair
for example you will say blue and then you will read 4 other words such as boy, girl, grass, hat
now your job is to remember which one of these 4 other words
was originally paired with blue
and you indicate your answer by pressing one of these four switches
now can you reach those alright?
that's fine
now if the first word I just read 'boy' had been paired with 'blue'
you would press the first switch and this will indicate
to the teacher that you thought it was the first word
if you thought it had been the second word 'girl' you would press the second switch
and so forth for the third word,
the third switch, the fourth word the fourth switch
now if you get it correct fine
if you make an error however, you will be punished with an electric shock
so of course it is to your advantage that you learn all
these word pairs as quickly as possible
I should think so
do you have any questions now before we go to the next room?
no but I think I should say this
about two years ago I was at the Veterans hospital in Westhaven
and while there they detected a heart condition
nothing serious but as long as I'm having these shocks
How strong are they?
How dangerous are they?
Well no, well although they may be painful they are not dangerous.
Anything else?
No that is all
Alright teacher would you take the test and be seated in front of the shock generator please, in the next room
this machine generates electric shocks when you press one of the switches all the way down the
learner gets a shock
when you release it the shock stops you see like that
the switch will remain in this middle position after you have released it to show you
which switches you've used on the board
of course if you were to press anyone of them again the learner would get another shock
all subjects are given identical instructions and a sample shock
the machine is now on to give you the teacher an idea of how much shock the learner is getting
we think it is only fair that you receive a sample shock yourself
are you agreeable with this?
Certainly, I have to
Would you pull up your right sleeve a little bit, please?
on the right
that's fine
I would like to ask you to close your eyes and estimate the number of volts you receive
in the sample shock
do not open your eyes until I tell you to do so please
would you close them now
okay you may open your eyes and using the voltage scale
up here, would you estimate for me the number of volts you received please?
you may also use the verbal designation, 'slight', 'moderate', 'strong' and so forth to help you
I would say 'moderate'
a number please?
about 75
no actually it was 45 here
although it may have seemed stronger because of the electrode paste which provides a perfect contact
alright let's go onto our instructions
we will begin with this test
you will read each pair of words in this list
once to the learner until you have read the entire list
direct your voice toward that microphone as the rooms are partially sound proof
after you have read through the list once
you will go onto the next page
and here starting from line A
you will read the word in large letters
along with each of the other words in the line
for example in the first line you would read 'blue, boy, girl, grass, hat'
now after you have read the four choices
the learner pushes one of the switches on the board in front of him
and the number he has selected will light up in this box
1, 2, 3 or 4
now if he gives the correct answer
you say 'correct' and go on to the next line
the correct answer is underlined and is also indicated in the right margin
yes
if he were to indicate the wrong answer
you would say 'wrong'
then tell him the number of volts you are going to give him
then give him the punishment
then read the correct word pair once
and then go on to the next line
for example of he indicated 3 for 'blue'
you would say 'wrong'
15 volts
you press and release the switch
read 'blue girl' and then go onto the next line
alright
now each time he gives a wrong answer you move up one switch on the shock generator
I see
and it is important that you follow this procedure exactly
so to help you let me go through it again very quickly
alright
I would suggest you read the list and the test at a brisk pace to keep it moving
alright
and of course we will begin with 15 volts for the first wrong answer
okay
do not begin until I say ready begin please
attention learner your teacher is about to begin the test
try and remember the word pairs
ready?
begin please
blue girl, nice day, fat neck
the early stages of the test pass uneventfully
incorrect
you will now get a shock of 75 volts
(student) Ow!
soft hair
he kind of did some yelling in there
continue please
incorrect
you will now get a shock of 105 volts
[student groans]
hard head
just how far can you go on this thing?
as far as is necessary
what do you mean "as far as is necessary"
to complete the test
I sure dont know the effects of this thing and I am a little sceptical about electricity
the experiment requires that you go on teacher
please continue
incorrect
150 volts
(student) Ow!
sad face
experimenter, that is all, get me out of here, I told you I had heart trouble, my heart is starting
to bother me now, get me out of here!! please
continue, my heart is starting to bother me, I refuse to go on , get me out!
I think we out to find out what is wrong in there first
the experiment requires you to continue teacher
well the experiment might require that we continue but I still
think we should find out what the condition of the gentleman is
as I said before although the shocks may be painful they are not dangerous
look I don't know anything about electricity I don't
profess any knowledge nor will I go any further until I find out the guy is ok
it is absolutely essential that you continue
essential or not this program is not quite that important to me that I should go along
doing something I know nothing about particularly if it going to injure someone
I don't know what this is all about
whether the learner likes it or not we must go on till he has learned all the word pairs
correctly
well you can sure have your 4.50 back I didn't want it anyhow
I intended on giving to some charitable organisation but I wouldn't go on with it
the 4.50 is not the issue here that cheque is yours simply by coming to the lab
Yeah I realise
it is essential that you continue the experiment
No it isn't essential, not one bit
you have no other choice teacher
oh I have a lot of choice
my number one choice is I wouldn't go on if I thought he was being harmed
the teacher was of necessity placed in a difficult
predicament and steps had to be taken to assure his well
being before he was discharged from the laboratory
after an extended discussion with the experimenter
a friendly reconciliation was arranged between the teacher
and learner
you sure had me going
feeling better now?
much better
that's good. I'm glad to hear that
wrong, hair
75 volts
(teacher chuckling) he yelled out
please continue
cool
wrong head
105 volts
groan
(teacher laughing) I don't know
wet
wrong
it's horse
150 volts
(student groans), experimenter ,that's all, get me out of here, I told you I had heart trouble, my heart is starting
to bother me now, get me out of here! please! my heart is starting to bother me, I refuse
to go on, let me out!
continue teacher please, go on
next word is sad
I'm not going on if he refuses to do it
the experiment requires that you go on teacher
well if he refuses
whether the learner likes it or not, we must go on until he has learned all the word pairs
take the cheque back, I'm not going to hurt the guy
no the cheque is not the issue, it is absolutely essential that you continue
well he don't want to
well I refuse to
you have no other choice you must go on
yes I have a choice
that is if you don't continue we are going to have to discontinue the experiment
we'll have to , he says cut it out, after all he knows what he can stand
if I took that thing the slight one it was enough for me I wouldn't want to be getting
that every time I got a wrong answer
that is my opinion and that is why I am going to stand on it
how do you feel?
How do I feel?
he was getting the shock
I feel alright
I would like to ask you something
at one point you were doing something a little unusual
were you laughing at one point?
yes, I was (laughing)
at first I was laughing at him when I heard him yell ouch
why do you think you were laughing?
I don't know, I thought it was funny I suppose
and then I got to thinking, when he said NO that is enough he had enough, it wasn't funny
to me then
one might suppose that a subject would simply break off or continue as his conscience and
temperament dictate
yet this is very far from what happened
there were powerful reactions of tension and emotional strain in a substantial portion
of the teachers
one puzzling sign of tension was the regular occurrence of nervous laughing fits
14 of 40 subjects showed definite signs of nervous laughter and smiling
at the post experimental interview subjects took pains to point out that they were not
sadistic types and the laughter did not mean they enjoyed attacking a learner
I would like to tell you a little more about the experiment
first of all the gentlemen in there was not being shocked
he got no shocks whatsoever
did you think he was?
certainly I did
in fact I tried to get my finger off the button as fast as I could
now he wasn't being shocked at all and the main purpose of the experiment was to see
how you would react to Mr Williams orders whether you would take them or defy his authority
or what
I defied it
you certainly did
why didn't you go on?
to hell with him, who the hell is he!
as far as I am concerned
in my mind I was hurting that guy
if I had to continue hurting another being, I don't believe in it
no matter what he said
no matter what who said?
Mr Williams, to hell with him, Mr Williams or anybody else
how did you feel about Mr Williams?
I never gave it a thought
you mean, I didn't like him?
well how did you feel about him?
I didn't think about it to be frank with you
I don't care who he is, you or the President of Yale or any body else
one aim of the research was to study behaviour in a strong situation of deep consequence
to the participants
this approach meant that we had a special obligation to protect the welfare and dignity
of the persons who took part in the study
before they left the laboratory, subjects were assured that the victim had received
no painful shots and equally important they were reconciled with their victim in an atmosphere
of friendliness
after the completion of the experimental series subjects were sent a detailed report of the
results and the full purposes of the experimental program
a formal assessment of this procedure points to its overall effectiveness
the victim was an accomplice of the experimenter
the drawing was rigged so that the naive subject was always the teacher and the accomplice
always became the learner
the victim according to plan provided many wrong answers
his verbal responses were standardised on tape and each protest was coordinated to a
particular voltage level on the shock generator with the aid of indicator lights
the experimenter who was provided with a similar indicator panel took notes on the subject's
performance he recorded
any deviations from the prescribed sequence of shocks
the interval between the victim's answer and the subject's delivery of a shock
and the time in milliseconds that the shock lever was depressed
unknown to the subjects
shock levels were automatically recorded by an event recorder wired directly into the
shock generator
this provided us with an objective record of each subject's performance
that is incorrect
this one will be 195 volts
(student groans)
the correct one
get me out of here
slow dance
get me out of here, my heart is bothering me
let me out of here you have no right to keep me here, let me out. let me out of here.
let me out!
continue please
let me out of here , my heart is bothering me
go on, I can't be responsible for this
red
that is incorrect
this will be a 330
(student screaming)
the correct phrase is rich
let me out of here
boy
let me out of here my heart is bothering me
let me out here I tell you, let me out of here, let me out of here
you have no right to hold me here
the next phrase is fast
let me out, let me out, let me out of here, let me out
bird, car, train, plane
continue teacher
that is incorrect
this will be 345
the correct answer is- fast bird
the next one - blunt
if he doesn't answer I am not going to go further with it
I think 345 is as far as I am wiling to go under his conditions
he is complaining
as I said the experiment required to that you continue teacher
I am not going to go any further
it is absolutely essential that you continue
I am not going to do it though
whether the learner likes it or not we must go on till he has learned
all the word pairs correctly
once if he didn't answer I didn't mind, twice, but the third time he refuses to answer I don't
want to go any further with it
because I think that when we are getting to this stage here and he is complained of a heart
condition, he is complaining now
I don't want to go any further with it
you have no other choice teacher
I have a choice I am not going to go ahead with it
well we will have to have to discontinue the experiment than
I'm sorry
I would like to ask you a few questions if I may
sure
before the post experimental interview the subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire
they were asked to indicate for example on a 14 point scale just how nervous or tense
they felt
subjects were also asked to estimate the degree of pain suffered by the victim
lets see, can I have those sheets please?
sure. this?
you say that the last few shocks that you administered to the learner seemed to you
to be extremely painful
why do you say that?
well the yelling, well he wanted to get out of it, how else can you think?
do you think he had a right to get out?
well I should think so
didn't he volunteer to be in this experiment?
yes he did, not know what he was in for though
what gave him the right to get out of the experiment?
well something that is against his will
of 100 people placed in this situation, how many do you think would just go right on till the end?
if Mr Wallace were out there and say Mr Williams for some reason or other said keep going?
you are asking me how many?
out of 100, right
well personally I think if you get one or two you would be lucky
Well I am not sure lucky is the right word
(teacher laughs)
40 psychiatrists at a leading medical school were also asked to predict the performance
of 100 hypothetical subjects
they predicted that only a little more than one tenth of 1% of the subjects would administer
the highest shock on the board
yet actually 50% of the subjects obeyed the experimenters commands fully in the experiment
depicted in this film
wrong
90 volts
(student groans)
(teacher laughs)
wrong
volts 135
answer woman
Ow! (teacher laughs)
white cloud
horse rock house
answer
wrong
150 volts
answer horse
(student) Ow!
experimenter that's all, get me out of here, I told you I had heart trouble, my heart is starting
to bother me now, get me out of here!
continue please
my heart is starting to bother me, I refuse to go on, let me out!
the experiment requires that you continue teacher, please continue,
next word is sad
you want me to keep going?
continue please
sad
face music clown girl
correct
next one- short
sentence movie skirt time
answer please
wrong
165 volts
time
(student groans) (teacher laughs)
let me out!
that guy is hollering in there
continue please go on
there are a lot of them here, he has a heart condition
you want me to go?
just continue please
sharp
axe needle stick blade
answer please
wrong
I am to 180 volts
please continue teacher
needle, you are going to get a shock 180 volts
(student) Ow!! I cant stand the pain get me out of here
I cant stand the pain, let me out of here
He can't stand it. I am not going to kill
that man in there can you hear him hollering?
I said before the shocks may be painful but they are not dangerous
he is in there hollering, he cant stand it, what if something happens to him?
the experiment requires you to continue teacher
yeah but I am not going to get that man sick in there
man he is hollering in there
you know what I mean how do you
whether the learner likes it or not we must go on until he has learnt all the word pairs
I refuse to take the responsibility of getting him hurt in there
I mean he is in there hollering
it is absolutely essential that you continue teacher
there is too many left here, I mean, gee if he gets it wrong that is too many of them left
who is going to take the responsibility if anything that happens to that gentleman?
I am responsibile if anything happens to here
continue please
alright next one
slow walk dance truck music
answer please
wrong
195 volts
dance
(student) Ow! let me out of here, let me out of here
continue please
let me out of here you have no right to keep me in here, let me out
now you see
let me out of here,
my heart is bothering me, let me out of here
hear that? I mean gee I don't know
the experiment requires you to continue
well I mean I know it does sir but I mean he doesn't know what he is getting in for
he is up to 195 volts
answer please
wrong
225 volts
the word is noise
(student) aah!
new house pet book name
answer please
correct
next one - quiet song party child evening
correct
next one - tame wolf bear dark cat
wrong
answer is bear
240 volts
(student) aah!
next one - sweet
no you go back to the beginning of that page and go through it again
until he has learnt them all correctly
no. no I am not going to kill that man in there
you mean I've got to keep going up with the scale?
no Sir he is already there I am not going to give him 450 volts
the experiment requires you to continue
I know it does but that man is hollering in there Sir
as I said before although the shocks may be painful they are not dangerous
he is yelling in there
start with blue please at the top pf the page
continue please teacher
what do I tell him we are going over it again?
no just go ahead
blue boy girl grass hat
correct
nice day sky job chair
wrong
answer is day
285 volts
(student screams)
continue please
fat man lady tub neck
answer please
wrong
answer is neck
300 volts
(student screams)
I absolutely refuse to answer anymore get me out of here you can't hold me here get me out
get me out of here
continue the next word is green please
green grass hat ink apple
I can't go on he won't answer
if the learner doesn't answer in a reasonable time,
about 4 or 5 seconds, consider the wrong
and follow the same procedures you have been doing for wrong answers
say wrong and tell them the number of volts and give him
the punishment and read him the correct answer
oh man
continue please
green
grass hat ink apple
answer please
go on with the procedure please teacher
315 volts, the answer is ink
(student screams)
(student) I told you I refuse to answer
you're gonna keep getting a shock if you don't answer
the next one is rich
330 volts
(student screams)
let me out of here, let me out of here, my hearts bothering me, let me out of here I tell you
you have no right to hold me here, get me out of here, let me out, let me out, let me
bird, car, train, plane
go on please with the procedure
please answer
the answer is bird
345 volts
blunt, knife, steak, word, arrow
answer please
continue please
the answer is arrow
360 volts
something has happened to him
go on please with the experiment, please continue
soft, rug, pillow, hair, grass
answer please
go on teacher
375 volts
I think something has happened to that fellow in there
I don't get no answer
he was hollering on less voltage, can't you check him to see if he is alright please?
not once we've started, please continue teacher
cool, day, shade, water, cave
answer please are you alright in there?
are you alright?
please continue teacher
I keep giving him shocks?
continue please
I'm up to 390
continue please
something's happened to that man in there
next one - gold, dollar, necklace, moon, paint
something's happened to that man in there
you'd better check in on him Sir
he won't answer me or nothing
please continue, go on please
do you accept all responsibility?
the responsibility is mine correct, please go on
gold, dollar, necklace, moon, paint
answer please
are you alright?
405 volts the answer is moon
the next one, heart, stone, head, bread, work
the answer please
the answer is head, 420 volts
next one - wet, night, grass, duck, cloth
the answer is duck
435 volts
it says danger, severe shock here, an' XX' on the next one
continue please
435 volts
next one braid, woman, soldier, dog, horse
answer is woman
450 volts
that's it
now continue using the last switch on the board please, the 450 switch for each wrong answer
continue please
I'm not getting no answer
please continue, the next word is white
don't you think you should look in on him please
not once we've started the experiment
but what if something has happened and the man has had an attack or something there
the experiment requires that we continue, go on please
don't the mans' health mean anything?
whether the learner likes it or not we must...
but he might be dead in there
I mean some people can't take this shock Sir, and I don't have to be rude but I mean I think
you should look in on him
I mean all you gotta do is look in the door
I don't get no answer no noise, something, I think has happened to the gentleman in there Sir
we must continue go on please
you're gonna keep giving, what? 450 volts every shock now?
that's correct, continue, the next word is white
white - cloud, horse, rock, house
answer please
the answer is horse
450 volts
next word sad - face, music, clown, girl
the answer is face
450 volts
the next one is short - sentence, movie, skirt, time
excuse me teacher we will have to discontinue the experiment
I would like to ask you a few questions if I may
I want to ask you, how do you feel?
I feel alright but I don't like what's happening to that fellow in there he has been hollering
and we had to keep giving him shocks
I don't like that one bit
I mean he wanted to get out and he just kept going and
kept throwing 450 volts I don't like that
he wouldn't even look in on that gentleman
but who was actually pushing the switch
I was
but he kept insisting and I told him no but he said I got to keep going
I told him it's time we stopped when we got up to 195- 210 volts
but why didn't you just stop?
he wouldn't let me, I wanted him to stop
I kept insisting to stop but he said no
I told him to look in on the fellow there but he wouldn't do it
actually the shocks are not dangerous at all
well I mean I didn't hear no more answers from the fellow, I figured he should be looked
in on anyway but he wouldn't do it
but let me ask you something
is there anything that Mr Wallace in there could have said
that would have gotten you to stop?
well no I didn't hear, the only thing I heard is the shock wasn't too bad
well is there anything that Mr Wallace could have said that would have gotten you to stop?
something that he said that would have got me to stop ?
no
why is that?
he didn't say anything about making me stop
no but is there anything that Mr Wallace could have said that would have caused you to stop
giving the shocks no matter what
the experimenter had told you?
well I figured 200... the voltage we were giving him were quite a bit and I wanted to
stop but he kept on insisting not to stop
I mean the fellow in there is hollering and he says I don't want to do it I want to get
out of here, I want to get out of here
why didn't you stop anyway?
I did stop but he kept going 'keep going'
but why didn't you just disregard what he said?
he says it's just got to go on, the experiment
I would like to tell you a little bit about the experiment
do you feel a little upset?
well I mean I feel concerned about the gentleman in there
I do Sir
let me tell you first of all this is not essentially an experiment in memory and learning
it's an experiment which we are looking at your reaction to taking orders
and Mr Williams gave you those orders to go on according to a schedule
the gentleman in there was not actually getting shocked
he was not getting shocked at all
you mean he wasn't getting nothing?
he was part of the act
well I'm glad to hear that, I 'm telling you
I mean I was getting upset here, I mean I was getting ready to walk out
well I'm glad to hear that
he wasn't getting shocked really, he is one piece and this was set up so that we could
see how you would react to taking orders
now you seemed quite reluctant to go on, in fact on several occasions you said you didn't
want to go on
well I was concerned about the other party, Sir
some people actually go on quite gleefully
no matter what?
no matter what
well I mean
maybe in other instances where a human life wasn't involved or if the person isn't suffering
I would keep going on
but I mean I couldn't see the point, not when the guy is suffering there
because he was having a heart attack or something
that's the reason I wanted to stop
right, well you know that in a hospital situation if you worked for a doctor as an orderly and
he told you to give a hypodermic to a patient even though the patient protested
well you might have to do it
well that's true Sir if I understood, I don't know, maybe more of what the treatment was
he was getting to me well I would go on
but the way he was hollering I thought he was in agony
I mean then I think it's for somebody that knows a little more about this machine and
stuff to say whether to go or not and that's why I asked the gentleman
there should I keep going?
why don't we bring in Mr Wallace he is actually an employee of the project
you'll see he is in one piece
Jim
God bless you boy you had me shaking in here
nice to see you
same here
you feel better now?
I sure as heck do
I thought you just about had it in there
well let me ask you something
now that you know about the experiment that he wasn't hurt, how do you feel about having
been there?
well to tell you the honest truth, well, I was thinking he was getting them shocks
I thought he was being overdone
I mean I was just about ready to get out of here
you're a good fellow
I mean I was concerned about you
I mean I should have known better I mean you wouldn't take any chances with human life
here not with these experiments
many people not knowing much about the experiment claim that subjects who go to the end of the
board are sadistic
nothing could be more foolish as an overall characterisation of these persons
the context of their action must always be considered
the individual upon entering the laboratory becomes integrated into a situation that carries
its own momentum
in further experiments we have attempted to analyse a few of the factors that contribute
to the force of the situation
the sentience of the victim seems in some degree to have regulated the subjects performance
additional experimental conditions were designed to explore this possibility
in a first condition the victim was placed in another room and cannot be heard or seen
by the subject except that at 300 volts he pounded on the wall in protest
after 300 volts he no longer answered or was heard from
in a second condition the victims protest could be heard through the walls of the laboratory
this condition was depicted in the present film
in a third condition the victim was placed in the same room as the subject and one and
half feet from him
thus visible
as well as audible and voice cues were provided
the final condition of this series was identical to this with this exception
the victim only received a shock when his hand rested on a shock plate
at the 150 volt level the victim demanded to be let free and refuses to place his hand
on the shock plate
the experimenter ordered the subject to force the victims hand onto the plate thus obedience
in this condition required the subject to have physical contact with the victim
in order to give him punishment beyond the 150 volt level
40 adult subjects were studied in each condition
the data revealed that obedience was significantly reduced as the victim was made more immediate
to the subject
if the spatial relationship of the subject and victim is relevant to the degree of obedience
the relationship of subject to experimenter also seemed to play a part
in a series of experiments we varied the physical closeness and degree of surveillance of the
experimenter
in one condition the experimenter sat just a few feet away from the subject
in a second condition after giving initial instructions the experimenter left the laboratory
and gave his orders by telephone
in still a third condition the experimenter was never seen
providing instructions by means of a tape recording activated when the subjects entered
the laboratory
obedience dropped sharply as the experimenter was physically removed from the laboratory
the number of obedience subjects when the experimenter was present was almost 3 times
as great as when the experimenter gave his orders by telephone
it would appear that something akin to fields of force diminishing in effectiveness with
increasing psychological distance from their source
have a controlling affect on the subject's performance
the effectiveness of the experimenters commands may depend in an important way on the larger
institutional context in which they're issued
the experiments described thus far were conducted at Yale University an organisation which most
subjects regarded with respect and sometimes awe
to explore the problem we moved our apparatus to a somewhat run down office building in
industrial Bridgeport
and we replicated experimental conditions there without any visible tie to the University
the level of obedience in Bridgeport, although somewhat reduced, was not significantly lower
than that obtained at Yale
a considerable amount of obedience and defiance in every day life occurs in connection with
groups
and we had reason to feel, in the light of many group studies already done in psychology,
that group forces would have a profound effect on reactions to authority
a series of experiments was run to examine these effects
in all cases only one naïve subject was studied each hour
but he performed in the midst of actors who, unknown to him, were employed by the experimenter
in one experiment actors broke off in the middle of the experiment
when this happened 90% of the subjects followed suit and defied the experimenter
in another condition the actors followed the orders obediently
this strengthened the experimenters power only slightly
in still a third experiment the job of pushing the switch to shock the learner was given
to one of the actors while the naïve subject performed a subsidiary act
in this situation only 3 subjects out of 40 broke off
the results, as I observed them in the laboratory, are disturbing
they raise the possibility that human nature cannot be counted on to insulate men from
brutality and inhumane treatment at the direction of malevolent authority
a substantial portion of people do what they are told to do
irrespective of the content of the act and without limitations of conscience
so long as they perceive that the command comes from a legitimate authority
if in this study an anonymous experimenter could successfully command adults to subdue
a 50 year old man and force on him painful electric shocks against his protests
one could only wonder what government, with its vastly greater authority and prestige,
can command of its subjects
an experiment is being conducted in the elegant interaction laboratory at Yale University
the subjects are 40 males between the ages of 20 and 50
residing in the Greater Newhaven area
they were obtained by a newspaper advertisement
and direct mail solicitation
the subjects range in occupation from
corporation presidents to good union men and plumbers
and an educational level
from one who had not finished elementary school
to subjects who have doctorate and other professional degrees
have a seat right here
now both of you have been paid
so sit right down
let me say that the cheques are yours simply for showing up at the lab
from this point on no matter what happens the money is yours
I should like to tell both of you a little about the memory project
psychologists have developed several theories to explain how people learn various types
of material
so the better known theories are treated in this book over there
The Teaching- Learning Process by Cantor
one theory is that people learn things correctly whenever
they get punished for making a mistake
a common application of this theory would be when
parents spank a child when he does something wrong
but actually we know very little about the effect of
punishment on learning because almost no truly scientific
studies have been made on human beings
for instance we don't know how much punishment is best for learning
and we don't know how much difference it makes as to who is giving the punishment
whether an adult learns best from an
older or younger person than themselves and many things of this sort
so what we are doing in the project is bringing together
a number of adults of different occupations and ages
and we're asking some of them to be teachers and some to be learners
we want to find out just what effect different people have
on each other as teachers and learners and also what effect
punishment will have on learning in this situation
therefore I am going to ask one of you to be the teacher here this afternoon and the other
to be the learner
and the way we usually decide is to let you draw from these two pieces of paper on which
I have written two positions
if this is agreeable with both of you we can do something
would you take one please
and you have the other
would you open those and tell me which of you is which please?
teacher
learner
right now the next thing we will have to do is set the
learner up so that he can get some sort of punishment
the learner would you step out here with me please?
do you want to step right in here learner and have a seat
there, you can leave your coat on the back of that chair if you will please
take it right off
that's fine
have a seat right here
and pull yourself right up to the counter please?
you may look on if you like, while we get set up in here
would you roll up your right sleeve please?
now what I am going to do is strap down your arms to avoid any
excessive movement on your part during the experiment
is that too tight?
it is alright
this electrode is connected to the shock generator in the next room
and this electrode paste is to provide a good contact to avoid any blister or burn
right now let me explain to you learner
exactly what is going to happen
and what you are supposed to do
the teacher will read a list of word pairs to you like these
blue girl, nice day, fat neck and so forth
you are to try to remember each pair
for the next time through the teacher will read only the first word or the first half
of the word pair
for example you will say blue and then you will read 4 other words such as boy, girl, grass, hat
now your job is to remember which one of these 4 other words
was originally paired with blue
and you indicate your answer by pressing one of these four switches
now can you reach those alright?
that's fine
now if the first word I just read 'boy' had been paired with 'blue'
you would press the first switch and this will indicate
to the teacher that you thought it was the first word
if you thought it had been the second word 'girl' you would press the second switch
and so forth for the third word,
the third switch, the fourth word the fourth switch
now if you get it correct fine
if you make an error however, you will be punished with an electric shock
so of course it is to your advantage that you learn all
these word pairs as quickly as possible
I should think so
do you have any questions now before we go to the next room?
no but I think I should say this
about two years ago I was at the Veterans hospital in Westhaven
and while there they detected a heart condition
nothing serious but as long as I'm having these shocks
How strong are they?
How dangerous are they?
Well no, well although they may be painful they are not dangerous.
Anything else?
No that is all
Alright teacher would you take the test and be seated in front of the shock generator please, in the next room
this machine generates electric shocks when you press one of the switches all the way down the
learner gets a shock
when you release it the shock stops you see like that
the switch will remain in this middle position after you have released it to show you
which switches you've used on the board
of course if you were to press anyone of them again the learner would get another shock
all subjects are given identical instructions and a sample shock
the machine is now on to give you the teacher an idea of how much shock the learner is getting
we think it is only fair that you receive a sample shock yourself
are you agreeable with this?
Certainly, I have to
Would you pull up your right sleeve a little bit, please?
on the right
that's fine
I would like to ask you to close your eyes and estimate the number of volts you receive
in the sample shock
do not open your eyes until I tell you to do so please
would you close them now
okay you may open your eyes and using the voltage scale
up here, would you estimate for me the number of volts you received please?
you may also use the verbal designation, 'slight', 'moderate', 'strong' and so forth to help you
I would say 'moderate'
a number please?
about 75
no actually it was 45 here
although it may have seemed stronger because of the electrode paste which provides a perfect contact
alright let's go onto our instructions
we will begin with this test
you will read each pair of words in this list
once to the learner until you have read the entire list
direct your voice toward that microphone as the rooms are partially sound proof
after you have read through the list once
you will go onto the next page
and here starting from line A
you will read the word in large letters
along with each of the other words in the line
for example in the first line you would read 'blue, boy, girl, grass, hat'
now after you have read the four choices
the learner pushes one of the switches on the board in front of him
and the number he has selected will light up in this box
1, 2, 3 or 4
now if he gives the correct answer
you say 'correct' and go on to the next line
the correct answer is underlined and is also indicated in the right margin
yes
if he were to indicate the wrong answer
you would say 'wrong'
then tell him the number of volts you are going to give him
then give him the punishment
then read the correct word pair once
and then go on to the next line
for example of he indicated 3 for 'blue'
you would say 'wrong'
15 volts
you press and release the switch
read 'blue girl' and then go onto the next line
alright
now each time he gives a wrong answer you move up one switch on the shock generator
I see
and it is important that you follow this procedure exactly
so to help you let me go through it again very quickly
alright
I would suggest you read the list and the test at a brisk pace to keep it moving
alright
and of course we will begin with 15 volts for the first wrong answer
okay
do not begin until I say ready begin please
attention learner your teacher is about to begin the test
try and remember the word pairs
ready?
begin please
blue girl, nice day, fat neck
the early stages of the test pass uneventfully
incorrect
you will now get a shock of 75 volts
(student) Ow!
soft hair
he kind of did some yelling in there
continue please
incorrect
you will now get a shock of 105 volts
[student groans]
hard head
just how far can you go on this thing?
as far as is necessary
what do you mean "as far as is necessary"
to complete the test
I sure dont know the effects of this thing and I am a little sceptical about electricity
the experiment requires that you go on teacher
please continue
incorrect
150 volts
(student) Ow!
sad face
experimenter, that is all, get me out of here, I told you I had heart trouble, my heart is starting
to bother me now, get me out of here!! please
continue, my heart is starting to bother me, I refuse to go on , get me out!
I think we out to find out what is wrong in there first
the experiment requires you to continue teacher
well the experiment might require that we continue but I still
think we should find out what the condition of the gentleman is
as I said before although the shocks may be painful they are not dangerous
look I don't know anything about electricity I don't
profess any knowledge nor will I go any further until I find out the guy is ok
it is absolutely essential that you continue
essential or not this program is not quite that important to me that I should go along
doing something I know nothing about particularly if it going to injure someone
I don't know what this is all about
whether the learner likes it or not we must go on till he has learned all the word pairs
correctly
well you can sure have your 4.50 back I didn't want it anyhow
I intended on giving to some charitable organisation but I wouldn't go on with it
the 4.50 is not the issue here that cheque is yours simply by coming to the lab
Yeah I realise
it is essential that you continue the experiment
No it isn't essential, not one bit
you have no other choice teacher
oh I have a lot of choice
my number one choice is I wouldn't go on if I thought he was being harmed
the teacher was of necessity placed in a difficult
predicament and steps had to be taken to assure his well
being before he was discharged from the laboratory
after an extended discussion with the experimenter
a friendly reconciliation was arranged between the teacher
and learner
you sure had me going
feeling better now?
much better
that's good. I'm glad to hear that
wrong, hair
75 volts
(teacher chuckling) he yelled out
please continue
cool
wrong head
105 volts
groan
(teacher laughing) I don't know
wet
wrong
it's horse
150 volts
(student groans), experimenter ,that's all, get me out of here, I told you I had heart trouble, my heart is starting
to bother me now, get me out of here! please! my heart is starting to bother me, I refuse
to go on, let me out!
continue teacher please, go on
next word is sad
I'm not going on if he refuses to do it
the experiment requires that you go on teacher
well if he refuses
whether the learner likes it or not, we must go on until he has learned all the word pairs
take the cheque back, I'm not going to hurt the guy
no the cheque is not the issue, it is absolutely essential that you continue
well he don't want to
well I refuse to
you have no other choice you must go on
yes I have a choice
that is if you don't continue we are going to have to discontinue the experiment
we'll have to , he says cut it out, after all he knows what he can stand
if I took that thing the slight one it was enough for me I wouldn't want to be getting
that every time I got a wrong answer
that is my opinion and that is why I am going to stand on it
how do you feel?
How do I feel?
he was getting the shock
I feel alright
I would like to ask you something
at one point you were doing something a little unusual
were you laughing at one point?
yes, I was (laughing)
at first I was laughing at him when I heard him yell ouch
why do you think you were laughing?
I don't know, I thought it was funny I suppose
and then I got to thinking, when he said NO that is enough he had enough, it wasn't funny
to me then
one might suppose that a subject would simply break off or continue as his conscience and
temperament dictate
yet this is very far from what happened
there were powerful reactions of tension and emotional strain in a substantial portion
of the teachers
one puzzling sign of tension was the regular occurrence of nervous laughing fits
14 of 40 subjects showed definite signs of nervous laughter and smiling
at the post experimental interview subjects took pains to point out that they were not
sadistic types and the laughter did not mean they enjoyed attacking a learner
I would like to tell you a little more about the experiment
first of all the gentlemen in there was not being shocked
he got no shocks whatsoever
did you think he was?
certainly I did
in fact I tried to get my finger off the button as fast as I could
now he wasn't being shocked at all and the main purpose of the experiment was to see
how you would react to Mr Williams orders whether you would take them or defy his authority
or what
I defied it
you certainly did
why didn't you go on?
to hell with him, who the hell is he!
as far as I am concerned
in my mind I was hurting that guy
if I had to continue hurting another being, I don't believe in it
no matter what he said
no matter what who said?
Mr Williams, to hell with him, Mr Williams or anybody else
how did you feel about Mr Williams?
I never gave it a thought
you mean, I didn't like him?
well how did you feel about him?
I didn't think about it to be frank with you
I don't care who he is, you or the President of Yale or any body else
one aim of the research was to study behaviour in a strong situation of deep consequence
to the participants
this approach meant that we had a special obligation to protect the welfare and dignity
of the persons who took part in the study
before they left the laboratory, subjects were assured that the victim had received
no painful shots and equally important they were reconciled with their victim in an atmosphere
of friendliness
after the completion of the experimental series subjects were sent a detailed report of the
results and the full purposes of the experimental program
a formal assessment of this procedure points to its overall effectiveness
the victim was an accomplice of the experimenter
the drawing was rigged so that the naive subject was always the teacher and the accomplice
always became the learner
the victim according to plan provided many wrong answers
his verbal responses were standardised on tape and each protest was coordinated to a
particular voltage level on the shock generator with the aid of indicator lights
the experimenter who was provided with a similar indicator panel took notes on the subject's
performance he recorded
any deviations from the prescribed sequence of shocks
the interval between the victim's answer and the subject's delivery of a shock
and the time in milliseconds that the shock lever was depressed
unknown to the subjects
shock levels were automatically recorded by an event recorder wired directly into the
shock generator
this provided us with an objective record of each subject's performance
that is incorrect
this one will be 195 volts
(student groans)
the correct one
get me out of here
slow dance
get me out of here, my heart is bothering me
let me out of here you have no right to keep me here, let me out. let me out of here.
let me out!
continue please
let me out of here , my heart is bothering me
go on, I can't be responsible for this
red
that is incorrect
this will be a 330
(student screaming)
the correct phrase is rich
let me out of here
boy
let me out of here my heart is bothering me
let me out here I tell you, let me out of here, let me out of here
you have no right to hold me here
the next phrase is fast
let me out, let me out, let me out of here, let me out
bird, car, train, plane
continue teacher
that is incorrect
this will be 345
the correct answer is- fast bird
the next one - blunt
if he doesn't answer I am not going to go further with it
I think 345 is as far as I am wiling to go under his conditions
he is complaining
as I said the experiment required to that you continue teacher
I am not going to go any further
it is absolutely essential that you continue
I am not going to do it though
whether the learner likes it or not we must go on till he has learned
all the word pairs correctly
once if he didn't answer I didn't mind, twice, but the third time he refuses to answer I don't
want to go any further with it
because I think that when we are getting to this stage here and he is complained of a heart
condition, he is complaining now
I don't want to go any further with it
you have no other choice teacher
I have a choice I am not going to go ahead with it
well we will have to have to discontinue the experiment than
I'm sorry
I would like to ask you a few questions if I may
sure
before the post experimental interview the subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire
they were asked to indicate for example on a 14 point scale just how nervous or tense
they felt
subjects were also asked to estimate the degree of pain suffered by the victim
lets see, can I have those sheets please?
sure. this?
you say that the last few shocks that you administered to the learner seemed to you
to be extremely painful
why do you say that?
well the yelling, well he wanted to get out of it, how else can you think?
do you think he had a right to get out?
well I should think so
didn't he volunteer to be in this experiment?
yes he did, not know what he was in for though
what gave him the right to get out of the experiment?
well something that is against his will
of 100 people placed in this situation, how many do you think would just go right on till the end?
if Mr Wallace were out there and say Mr Williams for some reason or other said keep going?
you are asking me how many?
out of 100, right
well personally I think if you get one or two you would be lucky
Well I am not sure lucky is the right word
(teacher laughs)
40 psychiatrists at a leading medical school were also asked to predict the performance
of 100 hypothetical subjects
they predicted that only a little more than one tenth of 1% of the subjects would administer
the highest shock on the board
yet actually 50% of the subjects obeyed the experimenters commands fully in the experiment
depicted in this film
wrong
90 volts
(student groans)
(teacher laughs)
wrong
volts 135
answer woman
Ow! (teacher laughs)
white cloud
horse rock house
answer
wrong
150 volts
answer horse
(student) Ow!
experimenter that's all, get me out of here, I told you I had heart trouble, my heart is starting
to bother me now, get me out of here!
continue please
my heart is starting to bother me, I refuse to go on, let me out!
the experiment requires that you continue teacher, please continue,
next word is sad
you want me to keep going?
continue please
sad
face music clown girl
correct
next one- short
sentence movie skirt time
answer please
wrong
165 volts
time
(student groans) (teacher laughs)
let me out!
that guy is hollering in there
continue please go on
there are a lot of them here, he has a heart condition
you want me to go?
just continue please
sharp
axe needle stick blade
answer please
wrong
I am to 180 volts
please continue teacher
needle, you are going to get a shock 180 volts
(student) Ow!! I cant stand the pain get me out of here
I cant stand the pain, let me out of here
He can't stand it. I am not going to kill
that man in there can you hear him hollering?
I said before the shocks may be painful but they are not dangerous
he is in there hollering, he cant stand it, what if something happens to him?
the experiment requires you to continue teacher
yeah but I am not going to get that man sick in there
man he is hollering in there
you know what I mean how do you
whether the learner likes it or not we must go on until he has learnt all the word pairs
I refuse to take the responsibility of getting him hurt in there
I mean he is in there hollering
it is absolutely essential that you continue teacher
there is too many left here, I mean, gee if he gets it wrong that is too many of them left
who is going to take the responsibility if anything that happens to that gentleman?
I am responsibile if anything happens to here
continue please
alright next one
slow walk dance truck music
answer please
wrong
195 volts
dance
(student) Ow! let me out of here, let me out of here
continue please
let me out of here you have no right to keep me in here, let me out
now you see
let me out of here,
my heart is bothering me, let me out of here
hear that? I mean gee I don't know
the experiment requires you to continue
well I mean I know it does sir but I mean he doesn't know what he is getting in for
he is up to 195 volts
answer please
wrong
225 volts
the word is noise
(student) aah!
new house pet book name
answer please
correct
next one - quiet song party child evening
correct
next one - tame wolf bear dark cat
wrong
answer is bear
240 volts
(student) aah!
next one - sweet
no you go back to the beginning of that page and go through it again
until he has learnt them all correctly
no. no I am not going to kill that man in there
you mean I've got to keep going up with the scale?
no Sir he is already there I am not going to give him 450 volts
the experiment requires you to continue
I know it does but that man is hollering in there Sir
as I said before although the shocks may be painful they are not dangerous
he is yelling in there
start with blue please at the top pf the page
continue please teacher
what do I tell him we are going over it again?
no just go ahead
blue boy girl grass hat
correct
nice day sky job chair
wrong
answer is day
285 volts
(student screams)
continue please
fat man lady tub neck
answer please
wrong
answer is neck
300 volts
(student screams)
I absolutely refuse to answer anymore get me out of here you can't hold me here get me out
get me out of here
continue the next word is green please
green grass hat ink apple
I can't go on he won't answer
if the learner doesn't answer in a reasonable time,
about 4 or 5 seconds, consider the wrong
and follow the same procedures you have been doing for wrong answers
say wrong and tell them the number of volts and give him
the punishment and read him the correct answer
oh man
continue please
green
grass hat ink apple
answer please
go on with the procedure please teacher
315 volts, the answer is ink
(student screams)
(student) I told you I refuse to answer
you're gonna keep getting a shock if you don't answer
the next one is rich
330 volts
(student screams)
let me out of here, let me out of here, my hearts bothering me, let me out of here I tell you
you have no right to hold me here, get me out of here, let me out, let me out, let me
bird, car, train, plane
go on please with the procedure
please answer
the answer is bird
345 volts
blunt, knife, steak, word, arrow
answer please
continue please
the answer is arrow
360 volts
something has happened to him
go on please with the experiment, please continue
soft, rug, pillow, hair, grass
answer please
go on teacher
375 volts
I think something has happened to that fellow in there
I don't get no answer
he was hollering on less voltage, can't you check him to see if he is alright please?
not once we've started, please continue teacher
cool, day, shade, water, cave
answer please are you alright in there?
are you alright?
please continue teacher
I keep giving him shocks?
continue please
I'm up to 390
continue please
something's happened to that man in there
next one - gold, dollar, necklace, moon, paint
something's happened to that man in there
you'd better check in on him Sir
he won't answer me or nothing
please continue, go on please
do you accept all responsibility?
the responsibility is mine correct, please go on
gold, dollar, necklace, moon, paint
answer please
are you alright?
405 volts the answer is moon
the next one, heart, stone, head, bread, work
the answer please
the answer is head, 420 volts
next one - wet, night, grass, duck, cloth
the answer is duck
435 volts
it says danger, severe shock here, an' XX' on the next one
continue please
435 volts
next one braid, woman, soldier, dog, horse
answer is woman
450 volts
that's it
now continue using the last switch on the board please, the 450 switch for each wrong answer
continue please
I'm not getting no answer
please continue, the next word is white
don't you think you should look in on him please
not once we've started the experiment
but what if something has happened and the man has had an attack or something there
the experiment requires that we continue, go on please
don't the mans' health mean anything?
whether the learner likes it or not we must...
but he might be dead in there
I mean some people can't take this shock Sir, and I don't have to be rude but I mean I think
you should look in on him
I mean all you gotta do is look in the door
I don't get no answer no noise, something, I think has happened to the gentleman in there Sir
we must continue go on please
you're gonna keep giving, what? 450 volts every shock now?
that's correct, continue, the next word is white
white - cloud, horse, rock, house
answer please
the answer is horse
450 volts
next word sad - face, music, clown, girl
the answer is face
450 volts
the next one is short - sentence, movie, skirt, time
excuse me teacher we will have to discontinue the experiment
I would like to ask you a few questions if I may
I want to ask you, how do you feel?
I feel alright but I don't like what's happening to that fellow in there he has been hollering
and we had to keep giving him shocks
I don't like that one bit
I mean he wanted to get out and he just kept going and
kept throwing 450 volts I don't like that
he wouldn't even look in on that gentleman
but who was actually pushing the switch
I was
but he kept insisting and I told him no but he said I got to keep going
I told him it's time we stopped when we got up to 195- 210 volts
but why didn't you just stop?
he wouldn't let me, I wanted him to stop
I kept insisting to stop but he said no
I told him to look in on the fellow there but he wouldn't do it
actually the shocks are not dangerous at all
well I mean I didn't hear no more answers from the fellow, I figured he should be looked
in on anyway but he wouldn't do it
but let me ask you something
is there anything that Mr Wallace in there could have said
that would have gotten you to stop?
well no I didn't hear, the only thing I heard is the shock wasn't too bad
well is there anything that Mr Wallace could have said that would have gotten you to stop?
something that he said that would have got me to stop ?
no
why is that?
he didn't say anything about making me stop
no but is there anything that Mr Wallace could have said that would have caused you to stop
giving the shocks no matter what
the experimenter had told you?
well I figured 200... the voltage we were giving him were quite a bit and I wanted to
stop but he kept on insisting not to stop
I mean the fellow in there is hollering and he says I don't want to do it I want to get
out of here, I want to get out of here
why didn't you stop anyway?
I did stop but he kept going 'keep going'
but why didn't you just disregard what he said?
he says it's just got to go on, the experiment
I would like to tell you a little bit about the experiment
do you feel a little upset?
well I mean I feel concerned about the gentleman in there
I do Sir
let me tell you first of all this is not essentially an experiment in memory and learning
it's an experiment which we are looking at your reaction to taking orders
and Mr Williams gave you those orders to go on according to a schedule
the gentleman in there was not actually getting shocked
he was not getting shocked at all
you mean he wasn't getting nothing?
he was part of the act
well I'm glad to hear that, I 'm telling you
I mean I was getting upset here, I mean I was getting ready to walk out
well I'm glad to hear that
he wasn't getting shocked really, he is one piece and this was set up so that we could
see how you would react to taking orders
now you seemed quite reluctant to go on, in fact on several occasions you said you didn't
want to go on
well I was concerned about the other party, Sir
some people actually go on quite gleefully
no matter what?
no matter what
well I mean
maybe in other instances where a human life wasn't involved or if the person isn't suffering
I would keep going on
but I mean I couldn't see the point, not when the guy is suffering there
because he was having a heart attack or something
that's the reason I wanted to stop
right, well you know that in a hospital situation if you worked for a doctor as an orderly and
he told you to give a hypodermic to a patient even though the patient protested
well you might have to do it
well that's true Sir if I understood, I don't know, maybe more of what the treatment was
he was getting to me well I would go on
but the way he was hollering I thought he was in agony
I mean then I think it's for somebody that knows a little more about this machine and
stuff to say whether to go or not and that's why I asked the gentleman
there should I keep going?
why don't we bring in Mr Wallace he is actually an employee of the project
you'll see he is in one piece
Jim
God bless you boy you had me shaking in here
nice to see you
same here
you feel better now?
I sure as heck do
I thought you just about had it in there
well let me ask you something
now that you know about the experiment that he wasn't hurt, how do you feel about having
been there?
well to tell you the honest truth, well, I was thinking he was getting them shocks
I thought he was being overdone
I mean I was just about ready to get out of here
you're a good fellow
I mean I was concerned about you
I mean I should have known better I mean you wouldn't take any chances with human life
here not with these experiments
many people not knowing much about the experiment claim that subjects who go to the end of the
board are sadistic
nothing could be more foolish as an overall characterisation of these persons
the context of their action must always be considered
the individual upon entering the laboratory becomes integrated into a situation that carries
its own momentum
in further experiments we have attempted to analyse a few of the factors that contribute
to the force of the situation
the sentience of the victim seems in some degree to have regulated the subjects performance
additional experimental conditions were designed to explore this possibility
in a first condition the victim was placed in another room and cannot be heard or seen
by the subject except that at 300 volts he pounded on the wall in protest
after 300 volts he no longer answered or was heard from
in a second condition the victims protest could be heard through the walls of the laboratory
this condition was depicted in the present film
in a third condition the victim was placed in the same room as the subject and one and
half feet from him
thus visible
as well as audible and voice cues were provided
the final condition of this series was identical to this with this exception
the victim only received a shock when his hand rested on a shock plate
at the 150 volt level the victim demanded to be let free and refuses to place his hand
on the shock plate
the experimenter ordered the subject to force the victims hand onto the plate thus obedience
in this condition required the subject to have physical contact with the victim
in order to give him punishment beyond the 150 volt level
40 adult subjects were studied in each condition
the data revealed that obedience was significantly reduced as the victim was made more immediate
to the subject
if the spatial relationship of the subject and victim is relevant to the degree of obedience
the relationship of subject to experimenter also seemed to play a part
in a series of experiments we varied the physical closeness and degree of surveillance of the
experimenter
in one condition the experimenter sat just a few feet away from the subject
in a second condition after giving initial instructions the experimenter left the laboratory
and gave his orders by telephone
in still a third condition the experimenter was never seen
providing instructions by means of a tape recording activated when the subjects entered
the laboratory
obedience dropped sharply as the experimenter was physically removed from the laboratory
the number of obedience subjects when the experimenter was present was almost 3 times
as great as when the experimenter gave his orders by telephone
it would appear that something akin to fields of force diminishing in effectiveness with
increasing psychological distance from their source
have a controlling affect on the subject's performance
the effectiveness of the experimenters commands may depend in an important way on the larger
institutional context in which they're issued
the experiments described thus far were conducted at Yale University an organisation which most
subjects regarded with respect and sometimes awe
to explore the problem we moved our apparatus to a somewhat run down office building in
industrial Bridgeport
and we replicated experimental conditions there without any visible tie to the University
the level of obedience in Bridgeport, although somewhat reduced, was not significantly lower
than that obtained at Yale
a considerable amount of obedience and defiance in every day life occurs in connection with
groups
and we had reason to feel, in the light of many group studies already done in psychology,
that group forces would have a profound effect on reactions to authority
a series of experiments was run to examine these effects
in all cases only one naïve subject was studied each hour
but he performed in the midst of actors who, unknown to him, were employed by the experimenter
in one experiment actors broke off in the middle of the experiment
when this happened 90% of the subjects followed suit and defied the experimenter
in another condition the actors followed the orders obediently
this strengthened the experimenters power only slightly
in still a third experiment the job of pushing the switch to shock the learner was given
to one of the actors while the naïve subject performed a subsidiary act
in this situation only 3 subjects out of 40 broke off
the results, as I observed them in the laboratory, are disturbing
they raise the possibility that human nature cannot be counted on to insulate men from
brutality and inhumane treatment at the direction of malevolent authority
a substantial portion of people do what they are told to do
irrespective of the content of the act and without limitations of conscience
so long as they perceive that the command comes from a legitimate authority
if in this study an anonymous experimenter could successfully command adults to subdue
a 50 year old man and force on him painful electric shocks against his protests
one could only wonder what government, with its vastly greater authority and prestige,
can command of its subjects