A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

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What percentage of participants in Milgram's experiment exercised their free will?

The correct answer is: 35%

In Milgram's experiment on obedience, the focus is on how individuals respond to authority figures, specifically regarding their willingness to comply with instructions that conflict with their personal moral beliefs. The results indicated that a significant majority of participants (about 65%) continued to deliver shocks up to the maximum voltage, demonstrating high levels of obedience rather than exercising their free will. Free will in this context can be understood as the ability of participants to say ‘no’ to the instructions given by the experimenter and decide to stop administering shocks. The percentage of participants who defied the authority and chose not to follow the orders—effectively exercising their free will—was much lower than the percentage who complied. Therefore, the notion that 35% of participants resisted the command shows an important aspect of human behavior in the face of authority; however, the focus is on illustrating that the actual percentage exercising free will to stop was considerably less than the majority. In summary, while the idea of 35% resisting reflects a significant number of individuals who chose to reject the authority's demands, it should be highlighted that it was far less than the overall compliance rate observed in this influential psychological study.