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MENTAL MODEL · M4305

Milgram Experiment

Milgram Experiment
BehaviorHigh supportSocial Psychology
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Stanley Milgram's 1963 obedience to authority experiment studied the extent to which ordinary people obey authority figures. Results showed that 65% of participants were willing to administer potentially lethal 450-volt shocks. The experiment revealed the powerful influence of authority obedience and the impact of situational factors on behavior.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Understanding obedience to authority. In ethics education, organizational management, and behavioral research, understanding obedience mechanisms helps us cope with authority pressure by recognizing situational forces, cultivating moral courage, establishing checks and balances, and strengthening personal responsibility, thereby promoting ethical behavior, enhancing personal autonomy, and preventing the harms of blind obedience.

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Participants administered increasingly severe shocks (actually fake) to a victim under the command of an 'authority figure', showing that ordinary people will obey authority and cause harm, revealing the situational power of obedience.

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experimentZH · Explicit
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