According to Blass (2009), "There were no formal ethical guidelines for the protection of the human subjects. Researchers tended to use their own judgment about whether their research posed an ethical problem...ethical questions...took a back seat to scientific value" (pg. 71). The ethical issues involved with the Milgram experiment are as follows: deception, protection of participants involved, and the right to withdrawal.
The experiment was deemed unethical, because the participants were led to believe that they were administering shocks to real people. The participants were unaware that the learner was an associate of Milgram's. However, Milgram argued that deception was necessary to produce the desired outcomes of the experiment. Later, Milgram conducted an experiment to gauge the deception and concluded that 83.7% felt positively about participating, and 1.3% of participants felt negatively about being involved (McLeod, 1970).
Another ethical issue of the experiment was the protection of the participants involved. During the study, participants endured severe circumstances that could have attributed to psychological impairment. Several of the participants were worried about the potential harm they were bringing to fellow participants. Milgram argued that these effects were ethical because they were short-term, the participants were notified, and they were not actually administering shocks. (McLeod, 1970).
The last ethical issue in the Milgram’s experiment was the right to withdrawal. The BPS states that researchers should make it plain to participants that they are free to withdraw at any time (regardless of payment). The experimenter gave four verbal prods which mostly discouraged withdrawal from the experiment: (1) Please continue, (2) The experiment requires that you continue, (3) It is absolutely essential that you continue, and (4) You have no other choice, you must go on (Shanab & Yahya, 2009).
In conclusion, even though the purpose of this experiment was to test how obedient an average person would be to the requests of an authority figure, even if the requests are immoral or unreasonable, there were still ethical issues that evolved throughout the testing. The Milgram experiment was conducted in an unethical fashion, and it intensified the participants' psychological state. Today, the Psychology Research Ethics Board would prohibit such an unethical experiment to be administered.
The experiment was deemed unethical, because the participants were led to believe that they were administering shocks to real people. The participants were unaware that the learner was an associate of Milgram's. However, Milgram argued that deception was necessary to produce the desired outcomes of the experiment. Later, Milgram conducted an experiment to gauge the deception and concluded that 83.7% felt positively about participating, and 1.3% of participants felt negatively about being involved (McLeod, 1970).
Another ethical issue of the experiment was the protection of the participants involved. During the study, participants endured severe circumstances that could have attributed to psychological impairment. Several of the participants were worried about the potential harm they were bringing to fellow participants. Milgram argued that these effects were ethical because they were short-term, the participants were notified, and they were not actually administering shocks. (McLeod, 1970).
The last ethical issue in the Milgram’s experiment was the right to withdrawal. The BPS states that researchers should make it plain to participants that they are free to withdraw at any time (regardless of payment). The experimenter gave four verbal prods which mostly discouraged withdrawal from the experiment: (1) Please continue, (2) The experiment requires that you continue, (3) It is absolutely essential that you continue, and (4) You have no other choice, you must go on (Shanab & Yahya, 2009).
In conclusion, even though the purpose of this experiment was to test how obedient an average person would be to the requests of an authority figure, even if the requests are immoral or unreasonable, there were still ethical issues that evolved throughout the testing. The Milgram experiment was conducted in an unethical fashion, and it intensified the participants' psychological state. Today, the Psychology Research Ethics Board would prohibit such an unethical experiment to be administered.
Blass, T. (2009). The man who shocked the world: The life and legacy of Stanley Milgram. New York: Basic
Books.
McLeod, S. (1970, January 01). Saul McLeod. Retrieved March 28, 2018, from
https://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html
Milgram Experiment [Digital image]. (2017, May 16). Retrieved March 28, 2018, from
http://jsavalle.com/milgram-experiment-company-culture-work-ethics/
Shanab, M. E., & Yahya, K. A. (1978). A cross-cultural study of obedience. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society
Books.
McLeod, S. (1970, January 01). Saul McLeod. Retrieved March 28, 2018, from
https://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html
Milgram Experiment [Digital image]. (2017, May 16). Retrieved March 28, 2018, from
http://jsavalle.com/milgram-experiment-company-culture-work-ethics/
Shanab, M. E., & Yahya, K. A. (1978). A cross-cultural study of obedience. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society