Did Milgram harm his participants?
-Their reactions would suggest that he did
How did Milgram defend himself against this charge?
-Experts he asked before the study didn’t think participants would behave obediently (So they wouldn’t be harmed by their experiences)
-Participants were ‘momentarily stressed’ by their experiences, but not ‘harmed’ by them
-Participants were extensively debriefed and given counselling to ensure there was no long-term harm done to them
Did Milgram deceive his participants?
-Yes
How did Milgram defend himself against this charge?
-Without using technical illusions, the study could not have been done
-Similar issues in other areas of social psychological research
-Deception is acceptable if participants accept it is necessary and the reasons for its use worthwhile
-Participants were extensively debriefed after the study
Did Milgram get informed consent from his participants?
-He can’t have done since the study involved deception
How did Milgram defend himself?
-He suggested researchers should get prior general consent from participants and/or use presumptive consent
Prior General Consent –
Participants are told: ‘This experiment may involve deception. Do you wish to continue?’
Presumptive Consent –
Unless the participant asks whether deception will be used, it is presumed that s/he will be ok if they are deceived
Participants right to withdraw from the investigation
-Participants never explicitly told they could leave at any time
-Verbal prods may have influenced participant’s behaviour
Payment upfront may have influenced participant’s behaviour
How did Milgram defend himself?
-This was the whole point of the experiment!
No comments:
Post a Comment