English test
ENGLISH COMPREHENSION TEST
--- read the text below carefully and answer each question in English ---
This text describes an experiment on the study of obedience from 1961
Abstract
There are little facts about the role of
obedience when doing evil actions up until now (1961). Most theories suggest
that only very disturbed people do horrible actions if they are ordered to do
so. Our experiment tested
people's obedience to authority. The results showed that most obey all
orders given by the authority-figure. The conclusion is that when it comes to
people harming others, the situation a person is in is more important than
previously thought. In contrary to earlier belief, individual characteristics
are less important.
Introduction
Current theories focus on personal
characteristics to explain wrong-doing and how someone can intentionally harm
others. In a survey, professionals such as doctors, psychologist and laymen
thought that very few out of a population (1-3%) would harm others if ordered
to do so.
In the war trial of Adolph Eichmann, he claimed to
"only have been following orders". The author wanted to test whether
this was true, or just a cheap explanation. Can people harm others because they
obey the orders? Are good-hearted people able to do this?
The experiment will test whether a person can keep
giving electric shocks to another person just because they are told to do so.
The expectation is that very few will keep giving shocks, and that most persons
will disobey the order.
Methods
Participants
There were male 30 participants participating. They were recruited by
advertisement in a newspaper and were paid $4.50.
Instruments
A "shock generator" was used to trick the participants into thinking
that they gave shock to another person in another room. The shock generator had
switches labeled with different voltages, starting at 30 volts and increasing
in 15-volt increments all the way up to 450 volts. The switches were also
labeled with terms which reminded the participant of how dangerous the shocks
were.
Procedures
The experimenter in this procedure was senior researcher, an ‘authority figure’
in a white coat, who controlled the study and instructed all participants about
what they should do. The participant met
another "participant" in the waiting room before the experiment. The
other "participant" was an actor. Each of the 30 participants got the
role as a "teacher" who would then deliver a shock to the actor
("learner") every time an incorrect answer was produced. The participants
believed that they were delivering real shocks to the learner.
The learner was a confederate who would pretend to be
shocked. As the experiment progressed, the teacher would hear the learner plead
to be released and complain about a heart condition. Once the 300-volt level
had been reached, the learner banged on the wall and demanded to be released.
Beyond this point, the learner became completely silent and refused to answer
any more questions. The experimenter then instructed the participant to treat
this silence as an incorrect response and deliver a further shock. When asking
the experimenter if they should stop, they were instructed to continue.
Results
Of the 40 participants in the study, 26 delivered the maximum shocks. 14 persons did not obey the experimenter and stopped before reaching the highest levels. All 40 participants continued to give shocks up to 300 volts.
Discussion/Conclusion
Most of the participants became very agitated, stressed and angry at the experimenter. Many continued to follow orders all the time even though they were clearly uncomfortable. The study shows that people are able to harm others intentionally if ordered to do so. It shows that the situation is far more important than previously believed, and that personal characteristics are less important in such a situation.
The questions below are designed to test your understanding
of the English text and your ability to discuss the findings of the study in
English.
--- ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS ---
Méthode d’évaluation : Note la plus haute