Milgram Experiment

[rojse]

What do people think about the Milgram Experiment? Some people call it the most important psychological study of the twentieth century.

Although a short summary of the setup and aims of the series of experiments completed by Stanley Milgram does do them an injustice, it tries to see how far people will in following an authority figure, and is worth a few moments of your time to have a look at.

Bonus Question: If you were involved in a similar experiment, do you think that you would do what the majority of the participants did?

 

[Storm]

I've always found it rather disturbing.

Like everyone, I would like to think I would have stopped. Actually, I find it likely, as I have a bit of a problem with authority figures to begin with . However, as with so many things, the only way to know for sure is to be in the situation.

 

[kai]

a very interesing thread, i would not like to participate in this experiment. and i think the vast majority of people would inflict some pain in varying degrees

 

[3.14]

i probaly would have stopped since i pretty much never do what other people ask me unless i realy want to (lucky my boss is easygoing sice i told him a couple time that i wouldn't do the work he deviced for me to his face)

 

[whereismynotecard]

I think I'd have stopped. I'd say, "okay... well... this is pretty ****** up... so... if that guy in there wants to keep participating, you can get someone else to do this part, because I'm not going to electricute people..."

 

[sandandfoam]

Isn't it interesting that nearly everyone thinks they'd have stopped?
I think it's a valuable study, Zimbardo's 'Lucifer Effect' brings the theme explored by Milgram bang up to date.
Who knows what any of us would do with the handbrake off? I would like to think that I would stop, but the chances are I probably wouldn't.

 

[3.14]

i don't doubt that i would be able to kill a man just doubt that i would do it under those circumstances

 

[Valjean]

I'm one of those who thinks Milgram and Zimbardo's experiments are quite likely the most important of the 20th C. Every ten year old should be familiar with them. If our natural susceptibility to authoritarianism were constantly in the back of our minds society would be a great deal more resistant to the carnage and atrocities the 20th C. will forever be known for.

A frog in a saucepan is more likely to hop out if he has a thermometer in there with him.

 

[rojse]

a very interesing thread, i would not like to participate in this experiment.

I would like to know why you would not.

From the Wikipedia article:

"84 percent of former participants surveyed later said they were "glad" or "very glad" to have participated, 15 percent chose neutral responses (92% of all former participants responding)"

And:

Six years later (at the height of the Vietnam War), one of the participants in the experiment sent correspondence to Milgram, explaining why he was glad to have participated despite the stress:

While I was a subject in 1964, though I believed that I was hurting someone, I was totally unaware of why I was doing so. Few people ever realize when they are acting according to their own beliefs and when they are meekly submitting to authority . . . . To permit myself to be drafted with the understanding that I am submitting to authority's demand to do something very wrong would make me frightened of myself . . . . I am fully prepared to go to jail if I am not granted Conscientious Objector status. Indeed, it is the only course I could take to be faithful to what I believe. My only hope is that members of my board act equally according to their conscience . . . .
​

 

[rojse]

I think that the most important part of the experiment was how Stanley Milgram kept changing the format of the experiment to see how the results would change.

 

[Alceste]

I would have to assume I'd be somewhere in the range of the experiment's findings, toward whatever end of the bell curve doesn't give a toss for authority (ie the one person who quit before 300V). On the other hand, I would never volunteer to be a research subject because of my distrust for authority and my disinclination to follow orders. It seems to me the whole idea of volunteering to be a research subject would appeal mostly to people who are naturally compliant, which would skew the results.

 

[rojse]

I would have to assume I'd be somewhere in the range of the experiment's findings, toward whatever end of the bell curve doesn't give a toss for authority (ie the one person who quit before 300V). On the other hand, I would never volunteer to be a research subject because of my distrust for authority and my disinclination to follow orders. It seems to me the whole idea of volunteering to be a research subject would appeal mostly to people who are naturally compliant, which would skew the results.

But the people volunteered for a different experiment altogether, and did not know the actual nature of the experiment.

 

[whereismynotecard]

I would have to assume I'd be somewhere in the range of the experiment's findings, toward whatever end of the bell curve doesn't give a toss for authority (ie the one person who quit before 300V). On the other hand, I would never volunteer to be a research subject because of my distrust for authority and my disinclination to follow orders. It seems to me the whole idea of volunteering to be a research subject would appeal mostly to people who are naturally compliant, which would skew the results.

In my Intro Psychology class last year we had to be research paricipants for part of our grade. That, or write out lengthy reports. I chose to be a participant over writing the reports, because it was much easier. I enjoyed it too. The studies were nothing like the Milgram Experiments, but I felt I did well on them.

One was to see if people had unconcious racism, and it turns out that I don't. They read a story about a crime, and then asked us to answer questions as though we were a witness, and when they asked "what race was the criminal?" I answered that I didn't know. We didn't know it was about racism until the end though. Otherwise it would have defeated the purpose, if we had known what they were testing.

I did another one about telepathy... That one was just weird...

 

[rojse]

In my Intro Psychology class last year we had to be research paricipants for part of our grade. That, or write out lengthy reports. I chose to be a participant over writing the reports, because it was much easier. I enjoyed it too. The studies were nothing like the Milgram Experiments, but I felt I did well on them.

One was to see if people had unconcious racism, and it turns out that I don't. They read a story about a crime, and then asked us to answer questions as though we were a witness, and when they asked "what race was the criminal?" I answered that I didn't know. We didn't know it was about racism until the end though. Otherwise it would have defeated the purpose, if we had known what they were testing.

I did another one about telepathy... That one was just weird...

I need to hear about the telepathy experiment. Although I am currently skeptical of the claims for new-age science, I am always interested to see how people go about trying to prove this sort of thing.

 

[whereismynotecard]

I need to hear about the telepathy experiment. Although I am currently skeptical of the claims for new-age science, I am always interested to see how people go about trying to prove this sort of thing.

They had some people sit in one room, and think about which box someone was putting an "x" in, and then I was in the group in the other room, who couldn't see where they "x" was, and we were supposed to be recieving the telepathic messages the other group was sending of which box the "x" was in, and marking it. They did it several times, and then took my group and divided it in half, and each half took turns being the senders and then the recipients, because the guy doing the experiment said we would be more likely to have a telepathic bond since we had all sat in the same room together. I never looked into what the results were though, because I'm pretty sure it didn't show any conclusive evidence one way or the other.

 

[Alceste]

But the people volunteered for a different experiment altogether, and did not know the actual nature of the experiment.

My point is that volunteering for any research project would appeal to people more compliant than myself. The only circumstance I can imagine participating in research voluntarily is if I were terminally ill and there was no cure apart from an experimental one. Even then I would probably nip off to China and sign up for 10 to 12 hours of targeted qi gong a day before volunteering for pharmaceutical trials. I'm stubborn to the core, and I can't think of a single instance of having "gone with the flow". I was never one of the people who would cheer from the sidelines at school fights, for example. I thought they were retarded and childish. And when I got targeted for fights of my own, I turned up (I refused to take the long way home or sneak in a window or whatever) but refused to fight despite the pressure from sometimes large crowds. In fact, I was so resistant to authority that by the time I was 15 my very authoritarian dad couldn't take it any more and moved out.

None of this means, of course, that I couldn't ever be tricked or intimidated into hurting someone else. But I think it's reasonable to say that I wouldn't hurt someone just because an authority figure demanded it, or because everybody else was doing it. Neither of those factors have ever motivated me, so I see no reason to expect they ever will.

 

[LuisDantas]

My point is that volunteering for any research project would appeal to people more compliant than myself.

But most such projects don't really demand much in the way of obeying authority, you know. I participated in a few that measure things such as eye-hand coordination. It's really ok.

 

[lilithu]

I agree with Stephen that it's interesting that so many people are certain they would have stopped. Are people as certain that they would have stood up against Hitler in Nazi Germany?

What about allowing your govt to invade a country, torture prisoners, and take away your rights in exchange for the promise of safety?

Perhaps it's true that the Milgram experiments - if done exactly as before - would garner different results today. After all, so many of us know about them, and so many of us have learned to be cynical of "authority." But are we really the wiser about how to respond in real life situations?

I'm one of those who thinks Milgram and Zimbardo's experiments are quite likely the most important of the 20th C.

Add this one to the list of experiments everyone should know and think about:
Peer pressure | Education | The Guardian

 

[lilithu]

My point is that volunteering for any research project would appeal to people more compliant than myself.

Or to people who thought that psychological research was a valid and worthy pursuit - the results of which would give us important insights into human behavior - and wanted to help further it.

 

[Alceste]

But most such projects don't really demand much in the way of obeying authority, you know. I participated in a few that measure things such as eye-hand coordination. It's really ok.

That's not really the point I was trying to make. I only think that the most obstinate, skeptical, private, distrusting and individualistic people in any society would not be likely to volunteer themselves as research subjects for any study, not just studies involving authority. I've been broke and seen ads that offer good, easy pay for subjects, considered it and thought, "nah - not my thing" because it might involve poking, prodding, invasions of my privacy and I can't guarantee any findings would be used for the good. Surely there are others like me, and I would guess (from my social circle) it's quite a large demographic.