Was Stanley Milgram’s study of obedience unethical? Milgram demonstrated convincingly that situational influences can lead most people to obey the commands of an authority.
In this lesson, you explored Milgram’s studies and learned a compelling and undeniable lesson about human behavior; however, the participants in those studies learned an undeniable (and not altogether flattering) lesson about themselves. Think about the pros and cons of Milgram’s studies while completing this assignment.
Although Milgram followed standard experimental protocols, should these experiments have been conducted at all, or the research participants placed in that position? Several commentators over the years have addressed the ethical considerations surrounding this set of experiments.
Tasks: Redesigning Milgram’s Experiment
Using the information from the lesson presentation and the textbook, create a scientific experiment that you believe would measure obedience, like Milgram’s experiments, without harming the subjects.