Question

Recall the obedience experiment of Dr. Stanley Milgram. Given the ethical standards that now exist and are enforced by institutional review boards, the study is unlikely to be replicated today, exactly as Dr. Milgram conducted it. Which ethical standards did the original study appear to violate, if any? How might such a study be modified to avoid ethical problems and protect the participants from both physical and psychological harm?

Answer 1

Answer.

In the Milgram experiment on obedience, the participants were instructed by an expert to deliver higher intensity of electric shocks to their team member ( who was actually a confederate). The study raised several controversies about the nature of psychological research. In particular, it breached the following ethical guidelines:

Deception

Milgram deceived the participants by not telling them the true nature of the experiment and did not follow up with participants with proper de-briefing process after conducting the experiment.

Their behaviour would have been different if they knew that they were working with a confederate.

Right To Withdraw

Although, many participants reported the desire to leave the experiment midway, the confederate experimenter made it quite impossible for the participant to withdraw, always urging them to continue with the shocks. This was in violation of the basic ethical standard about respecting the participants’s right to confidentiality and privacy with regard to leaving the study at any point of time.

Informed Consent

The use of total deception meant that the participants consented to the experiment without knowing the true aims of the experiment.

Protection From Psychological Harm

More importantly, by subjecting the participants to an action against their will, the research seemed to have caused greater amount of harm to the participants in the form of guilt and trauma over the knowledge of harming another human being ( the confederate) in the study on the instructions of the researcher. psychologically.

in the absence of a proper de-briefing and follow-up, it can be argued that the researchers left them exposed to a damaged self-esteem or even Post Traumatic Stress syndrome.

If the Milgram study would be remodelled to address issues of beneficence, educating the participants about their right to informed consent, privacy, and following proper de-briefing sessions after conducting the experiment, then the experiment could show more success in minimising the amount of negative psychological impact on the participants and allow research to explore a better balance between gaining scientific knowledge and ensuring the interests and well being of the sample.