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Chapter 2: Problem 5

In accordance with ethnical guidelines, researchers today are compelled to instruct participants that they can withdraw from experiments at any time without incurring any penalty, Had participants, including the learner, in the Milgram study been provided with such instructions at the outset of the study, do you think this would have reduced the number of individuals who obeyed?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Yes, it is possible that the provision of such instructions at the onset of the study could have reduced the number of individuals who obeyed, protecting their autonomy and reducing the coercion involved. However, it's important to note this is speculative, and actual outcomes in such situations can often be unpredictable.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Milgram Experiment

The first step involves understanding the Milgram experiment. The Milgram obedience study was a series of experiments conducted by psychologist Stanley Milgram that studied the willingness of individuals to obey an authority figure even when such obedience resulted in harm to others.
02

Analyzing the Impact of Ethical Guidelines

Ethical guidelines, such as letting the participants know that they can withdraw any time, are implemented to empower subjects in a study. By understanding the power of these guidelines, one can infer their influence in the situation at hand.
03

Formulating Personal Opinion

The final step is to answer whether this measure could have reduced obedience in the Milgram experiment. This depends on one's interpretation of the experiment and understanding of the influence of ethical guidelines. Considering inherent ethical issues and the coercive environment of the Milgram experiment, it can be argued that informing participants of their ability to withdraw could have led to a decrease in obedience, thus respecting their autonomy and free will. However, one must remember this would still be a speculative conclusion as actual outcomes in psychology can often be unpredictable.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

What factors or characteristics distinguish those individuals who gave the highest level of shock from those who didn't? For example, would personality characteristics play a role? If so, what spectfic personality characteristics might lead some individuals to go on to give the highest level of shock and others not to?

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