Milgram Experiment - Assignment Example

Milgram Experiment Give a brief of the actual experiment. How was it set up? What were the participants told? Identify the ways that they were deceived.The experiment was set up in separate rooms, where one room hosted the subject (confederate) and a shock generator with switches of between 30 to 450 volts and the other hosted the participant and the experimenter. The participants were to administer shocks in increasing order to the subject for any wrong response. The experimenter acting as the authority would probe and insist on the participant to continue administering the shocks to the maximum level despite the cries and pleading of the subject.

The participants were deceived about administering the shocks (they thought they were administering real shocks but the subject was only acting to be in pain), they were deceived about their real role by even having to draw papers to choose who would be the student and who the teacher and he also deceived them that the experiment was about effects of punishment on learning.2. At the time of the study did Stanley Milgram’s work violate ethical principle of the APA? What year did the APA make a critical revision to their statement on ethical use of deception?

According to the APA guidelines of 1953, Milgram did not violate any ethical principle as it allowed for the researcher to use deception if it was necessary in acquiring results. Despite the effects of the experiment to the participants, APA did not revise its guidelines on deception until 1992.3. Protecting Study Participants from Harm includes principles that researchers are obligated to maintain. What types of harm are listed and how many do you think Milgram potentially could have jeopardized in his participants.

The harms include: physical, psychological, emotional, legal, social and financial harm. In Milgram’s experiment Milgram violated the psychological, emotional, social and even financial harm principle.4. What do you think is the difference between emotional harm and psychological harm?Emotional harm has to do with affecting only the feelings of the person and feelings may range from those of happiness to sadness. Psychological harm on the other hand involves harming even the mental part of a person on top of the emotional part and hence the harm is usually deeper than emotional harm.5. From your perspective what seems to be the state Do you think the “ends justified the means” within the study?

Does a debriefing negate adverse effects of Milgram’s study? Why or why not?The end does not always justify the means and especially where human mental and emotions are involved. Debriefing the participants in Milgram’s experiment does not remove or wipe away the psychological harm that the participants had already received, it only acted to relieve their fears that they had harmed a person but that is not enough because the psychological harm has long-term effects unlike the physical harm.6. From your perspective what is the state of mind of the participant viewed in the film?

What surprised you about his behavior?The participant was nervous when administering the shocks and even paused after the subject complained once the shock was administered. Even though the subject kept on complaining, the participant could not disobey the experimenter who was an authority figure in this case and hence continued administering the shocks.Work Citedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpGJjNUbmpo&feature=youtu.be