The information provided by Salkind (2012) allows becoming familiar with several experiments that are considered unethical. One such experiment is The Milgram Confromity Experiment conducted in 1961 by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram who wanted to test and measure the extent of humans’ willingness to obey orders from an authority figure who instructed participants to administer increasingly high-voltage shocks to another individual. The participants of the study were unaware that the shocks were not real and that the individual that they shocked was an actor who pretended to scream in pain (Greenwood, 2018). Nevertheless, the majority of participants obeyed the instructions, allowing Milgram to conclude that humans are susceptible to authority and capable of performing acts that conflict with their conscience in certain circumstances.
The experiment discussed above raises questions about the research ethics. As reported, participants of the Milgram Conformity Experiment experienced extreme emotional stress during the study; yet, they were asked to proceed. Further, even though participants provided informed consent, they were not properly debriefed after the experiment, which resulted in long-term negative psychological consequences, such as depression and anxiety (Greenwood, 2018). Hence, Milgram’s experiment was unethical, as it violated the three core principles identified in The Belmont Report such as justice, beneficence, and respect for persons (U.S. Department of health & Human Services [HHS.gov], 2021).
Based on these principles, if one were to replicate the experiment, it could be recommended to put some safeguards in place: to screen the participants prior and after the experiment, to deem ineligible for participation those who would be found to be at risk for a negative reaction, to halt the experiment if participants displayed signs of distress, and to debrief participants immediately after the experiment ends. Most likely, making these changes would produce the results similar to those obtained by Milgram in 1961, with the majority of participants obeying the instructions of the authority figure due to people still being compliant (Greenwood, 2018). However, implementing these changes would allow avoiding negative psychological effects by participants following the experiment, minimizing risks to their well-being.
References
Greenwood, J. (2018). How would people behave in Milgram’s experiment today? Behavioral Scientist.
https://behavioralscientist.org/how-would-people-behave-in-milgrams-experiment-today/
HHS.gov. (2021). The Belmont report: Ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subject if research.
https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/belmont-report/index.html
Salkind, N. J. (2012). 100 questions (and answers) about research methods.
SAGE Publications, Inc.
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FAQ
What was the Milgram Experiment?
What did the experiment discover?
65% of participants completely obeyed the commands of the authority figure even though they went against their conscience.
Why is the Milgram Experiment unethical?
What were the ethical norms violated by the experiment?
The experiment was a violation of the three fundamental norms of The Belmont Report: justice, beneficence, and respect for persons.
How would the experiment be done ethically today?
Precautions such as pre-screening of volunteers, stopping the study if there is distress, and liberal debriefing can safeguard volunteers’ welfare.
What do we learn from the Milgram Experiment?
We learn from the experiment how important ethical conduct of research and welfare safeguard of volunteers are in the study of human behaviour.
