Comparing Views on Stanley Milgrams Experiment on Obedience

In 1963 a psychologist named Stanley Milgram conducted one of the greatest controversial experiments of all time. Milgram tested students from Yale to discover the obedience of people to an authoritative figure. The subjects, whom did not know the shocks would not hurt, had to shock a â€Å"learner† when the â€Å"learner† answered questions incorrectly. Milgram came under fire for this experiment, which many proclaimed was unethical. This experiment of Milgram’s stimulated the creation of several responsive articles. Two articles that respond to this experiment are authored by Diane Baumrind and Ian Parker. These two authors attempt to review the methods, results, and ethical issues of Milgram’s experiment. â€Å"Review of Stanley Milgram’s Experiments†¦show more content†¦Also, The Psychology Research Handbook says The Ethical Standards of Psychologist stated such rules in 1953, which Milgram clearly ignored (Leong and Austin 178). Parker and Baumrind also question the legitimacy of the experiment and whether the results were influenced by the authority figure alone or by multiple factors. Baumrind states that the experimenter’s cold demeanor and apathetic demands caused the subjects to act in ways they would not have regularly (Baumrind 225-227). The isolation of the subjects is another factor according to Baumrind. The lack of someone to strengthen the subject causes the subject to fold to the authority (Baumrind 225). Parker also questions the legitimacy of Milgram’s experiment. He says it is a combination of several different factors that will result in the subjects actions, not solely a man demanding a subject to complete a task. He continues in sayi ng that people’s actions are influenced by the situation and what is happening around them (Parker 238). Parker quotes Ross in saying, â€Å"We can take ordinary people and make them show a degree of obedience or conformity†¦ to a degree that we would normally assume you would only see in a rare few† (Parker 239). Parker continues with saying a subject’s obedience is not determined by a simple command but by a range of factors. In Understanding Behavior in the Milgram Obedience Experiment: The Role of Personality, Situations, and Their Interactions, the author Thomas Blass states thatShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Stanley Milgram s Perils Of Obedience Essay1709 Words   |  7 Pagesmanipulated the minds of masses for their own personal and political agenda. Still, many questions still remain prevalent as to how an individual reaches his or her decision on obedience in a distressing environment. 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