Milgram's obedience experiments
Stanley MilgramJerry BurgerGina Perry
This page delivers no verdict; it presents claims and evidence with their sources. No theory in science is absolute. Method
For everyone
In Milgram's experiments participants were told to give increasingly strong electric shocks to a "learner" for wrong answers. The shocks were not real, but the participants did not know that. In the first experiment 65% of participants continued to the maximum 450 volts. The results were read as evidence of how far ordinary people will go in obeying authority. Archival research raised serious questions about how the experiments were conducted.
For specialists
Milgram ran more than 18 variations; obedience varied greatly with the proximity of experimenter and victim and the legitimacy of authority. Burger (2009), in a replication capped at 150 volts for ethical reasons, found rates similar to Milgram's. Perry (2013) pointed to records in the Yale archives showing that experimenters departed from the standard protocol and that a substantial share of participants did not believe the shocks were real.
Claims
- Most ordinary people will continue actions that could seriously harm another person on the instructions of a perceived legitimate authority.[1]
Evidence
Supporting
In the first experiment 26 of 40 participants continued to the highest shock level.[1]
A 2009 partial replication found continuation rates at the 150-volt point not statistically different from Milgram's.[2]
Challenging
Archival records showed experimenters going beyond the script and a substantial share of participants doubting that the shocks were real.[3]
Connections
Sources
- Article (1963). Behavioral study of obedience. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 67(4), 371–378DOI 10.1037/h0040525archive
- Article (2009). Replicating Milgram: would people still obey today?. American Psychologist 64(1), 1–11DOI 10.1037/a0010932archive
- Book (2013). Behind the Shock Machine: The Untold Story of the Notorious Milgram Psychology Experiments. The New Press, New York
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Cite this page
Athena contributors. (2026). Milgram's obedience experiments. Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/milgram/
@misc{athena_milgram,
title = {Milgram's obedience experiments},
author = {{Athena contributors}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/milgram/}},
note = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}Added: September 27, 2026 · Last changed: September 27, 2026 · Page history