Question

The History of Milgram’s Obedience Studies Nestar Russell (2010) wondered how Stanley Milgram came to conduct his first obedience study. What drew him to the topic, and how did he come to design the study as he did? the origin of the Milgram’s study, available from the British Psychological Society: origins.bps.org.uk/im/content/4sgr5kj.pdf

Questions to answer:

1. What was the most interesting or surprising thing you learned about the history of Milgram’s obedience study?

2. If Milgram were alive today, what three questions would you ask him about his research? Why?

3. Of the other psychological research, you have learned about in this course, which do you wish you knew the origin of? Why?

Answer 1

Milgram conducted the 'Miligram experiment' in early 1960's and found that a common man was ready to administer strong 'shocks' to another innocent victim, on the orders of an authority ie the experimenter. Milligram wanted to study why some people are ready to harm others and obey the authority for doing so, and his experiment reflected the obeying characteristics of a common man. However, there are certain things that one doesn't know about this experiment and I , personally found these facts highly intriguing. For example, most volunteers were paid $4 to take part in the experiment conducted by Miligram. Although the experiment concluded that most volunteers obeyed the authority and administered strong shocks to innocent people.

1.What I found really interesting was the some volunterrs were found to be highly distressed during the experiment as they gave shocks to innocent people. They didn't wanted to hurt the 'victims'. Nonetheless, they did. Some of them incorporated defence mechanism to deal with their inner conflicts of whether to disobey or obey the experimenter, who was giving them orders to give shocks to innocent people. For example, it was noted that some of them administered milder shocks to the victims in opposition to strong ones. Some of them were highly distressed and started laughing whenever they had to give shocks. In short, they were unwilling to hurt others. Miligram argued that people are sadistic and agreesive and would obey authorities at any cost. But, one can witness the resistance to aggression among the people who were asked to administer strong shocks to innocent people. This presents a humane side of a common man that is resistant to war, aggression and hostility.

2. Three questions that I would ask Miligram abput his research would be. Why didn't he explored and scientifically studied the reaction of volunteers who showed resistance in administering strong shocks to the victims? This would have shed light on the humane side of the society. Second and the third question would be, why did he gave $4 to the volunteers before that decided to participate in the experiment? Did the monetary value attached a sense of responsibility and work ethics? If yes, then would volunteers still have administered shocks to the victims if they weren't paid for it? what is the relationship between obedience, authority and capitalism ?

3. I would like to know and study the origin of Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment as it studies an association between psychological effects of perceived power and behavioural response.How do we act and react in the presence of power and with power, is something that is really intriguing to me. Moreover, it correspondes in the similar lines of Miligram Experiment, which reflects the relationship between obedience and power.

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