Question

   In the Milgram's 1963 study on obedience :

   1. What form of deception (active or passive) was used? Specifically, what did the deception involve?

2. Were the participants debriefed? If so, what did that debriefing involve?

3. How would you feel if you had been deceived as the actual participants in your article were deceived. Would debriefing make a difference in how you might feel?

4. Are there any viable alternatives to the deception used that would still produce the same or highly similar findings?

Answer 1

1. What form of deception (active or passive) was used? Specifically, what did the deception involve?

The deception used by milgram in his experiment was that the participants did not know what the real experiment was. The participants were not aware that that what they were hearing, was just a recording. In this deception, the information provided to the participants was misleading. Hence, the deception was in active form.

2. Were the participants debriefed? If so, what did that debriefing involve?

When participants are subjected to an experiment, it is required that the participants have to be debriefed. Debriefing is the protocol where the participants would be explained the actual purpose of the experiment. Debriefing is done so that there would be minimisation of the negative effects and the participants would be conveyed the real research value.

3. How would you feel if you had been deceived as the actual participants in your article were deceived. Would debriefing make a difference in how you might feel?

I would not feel very good if I was deceptive do in this manner. Even after I would have been debriefed, I would have felt that I have been lied. Though, debriefing would justify the deception.

4. Are there any viable alternatives to the deception used that would still produce the same or highly similar findings?

No, there are no viable alternatives to the deception that have been used. Since, the main intention of the experiment is to record natural reactions, any indication to the experiment would hamper natural reactions.