By Andrea Johnson, aj248@uakron.edu
"Let me out of here!” Words from a man screaming in agony and pain. Pain caused by a small button that was pushed by a stranger in an adjacent room. A firm voice pierced through the screaming and stated “You have no other choice but to continue.” Believing there was no other option, the stranger continued to push the button until it maxed at 450 voltz.
It all took place in the basement of Linsly-Chittenden Hall at Yale University. A typical day for students. Students roamed the halls to get to their class, prepared for what the day had to bring. However, they were unaware of the excruciating screams from downstairs.
Is obedience reason enough to cause a person to inflict pain upon another? That is what Professor Stanley Milgram sought to research and answer.
BACKGROUND
In 1963 Professor Stanley Milgram conducted a social experiment to determine whether or not the average person would harm another person if told to do so.
What drove Milgram to conduct such an act? Well, his curiosity of whether or not Nazis war criminals were particularly obedient to authority figures, piqued his interest.
THE MACHINE - HOW DID IT WORK?
Volunteers arrived at a predetermined location. They were told to draw from two pieces of paper to determine their role. Unbeknownst to them, they were all teachers. As a teacher, they were given the role of administering a shock to the learners.
TEACHERS - WHY DID THEY OBEY?
Many of the teachers obeyed because they were given stern directions to comply. They were told they must continue to complete the experiment and/or the experiment could not be completed without them.
RESULTS - DID MILGRAM GET THE RESULT HE WANTED?
Milgram was able to determine that it was possible that Nazi war criminals committed those heinous crimes because they were following orders.
INFLUENCE - HOW DID THE EXPERIMENT INFLUENCE OTHER PSYCHOLOGIST
It caused the American Psychology Association to begin to regulate how human test subjects are used in experiments. It also inspired Dr. Phillip Zambardo to complete his infamous prison experiment.
UNIVERSITY OF AKRON - THE NATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY MUSEUM
Located at University of Akron, in Akron Ohio, you can visit The National Museum of Psychology at Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings Center of Psychology. Here, you can find the original simulated shock generator used by Stanley Milgram.
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