Annotated Bibliography

Running Head: Stanley Milgram Study on Obedience to Authority

Stanley Milgram Study on Obedience to Authority 3

Topic: Stanley Milgram Study on Obedience to Authority

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Stanley Milgram Study on Obedience to Authority

Milgram study of obedience is one of the most notorious and famous experiment in psychological history that was conducted as a response to the notorious trials of Nazi war criminals who they justified there crimes to following orders. The study was conducted to establish whether people would obey authority figures even when the given instructions were morally wrong. The research experiment was unethical and produced disturbing findings, which led to the creation of the Belmont report, and the institutional review boards that were formed to protect human subjects involved in research; it demonstrated how people reacted towards an authority figure while giving an apparent electrical shock as a form of punishment for every mistake. The shocks were administered starting at 15 volts interval to a maximum of 450 volts, which was extremely uncomfortable and inhumane.

This experiment raised major ethical concern whether it was right to expose people to search extreme stress; which in the experiment caused suffering to human being and severe emotional distress, on what activities should be or not allowed in marketing research and on whether the search for knowledge justifies such costs to people. These concerns were based on a number of factors that participants in any experiment must not be deceived and must be made aware of any consequences. In the interest of fairness, follow up research performed after the experiment indicated that there no long term psychological effects on the participants therefore, it is essential that psychological studies do have strict guidelines.

Redesigning Milgram’s study to pass IRB standards

One of the ways is to see the experiment as a situational experiment. As today’s behavior of people is determined largely by what is happening around them. For example if you put people in a certain situation they are likely to be racist or sexist, may cheat, or even may lie. The research resulted high level of obedience due to the physical presence of authority which led to increased compliance, also the fact that the shocks were said to be painful not dangerous. Another aspect to redesign the study is to lessen the degree of punishment example in the case of Milgram, the shock should have been reduced to maximum of 150 volt to make compelling implications. Making aware of the participants in any experience and letting them to consent the experiment would enable the study to pass the IRB standard because people will never agree to participate in harmful research. Finally putting in mind that Milgram was not a bad person that he was just trying to uncover the reason why humans could become embroiled in great evil. Moreover, that the study was only conducted to identify the effects of punishment in learning.

Refences

Milgram, S. (1978). Obedience to authority.

Milgram, S. (1965). Some conditions of obedience and disobedience to authority. Human relations, 18(1), 57-76.