You raise some excellent points about the amount of coercion that remained. I wonder how much of that was in an effort to replicate the Milgram study as much as possible, and of course, that ends up affecting any arguments regarding obedience--i.e., just how MUCH "encouragement" does it take for a person to comply and obey?
Annette Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 619-260-4006 [email protected] ---- Original message ---- >Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:47:24 -0500 >From: "Frank M. LoSchiavo" <[email protected]> >Subject: Re: [tips] Milgram's obedience experiment: replication >To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <[email protected]> > >As you might expect, there is also disagreement regarding the ethics of >Burger's modified procedure. As I mentioned in a letter published in the >APS Observer (March, 2008), "Most of his methodological adjustments >represented reasonable compromises between experimental rigor and basic >human safeguards. However, participants in Burger's study met excessive >resistance when they tried to discontinue their involvement. In my opinion, >this fact renders the revised procedure unacceptable and unethical." > >Here's a link to the entire letter: >http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm?id=2305 > >Frank M. LoSchiavo >Ohio University - Zanesville > > > >At 09:46 AM 12/20/2008, you wrote: >>Allen Esterson wrote: >>>A London "Times" article yesterday (Friday) indicated that there will be >>>some disagreement about how closely the new study replicates Milgram's: >>> >>>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article5367721.ece >>> >>> >>Yes, there will be some disagreement. Partly, the changes were what >>Burger's ethics committee used in order to justify approving what is, in >>its essence, the same experiment. Its critics will use these as the >>fulcrum on which to lever their criticisms. There is a large contingent of >>people -- many psychologists among them -- who are simply unable to >>believe (or theoretically-invested in disbelieving) that the general walk >>of human beings are like this. They are wrong (IMHO). There is a deep >>social investment in believing that what happened in Nazi Germany was >>wildly exceptional, far outside the normal course of human social >>behavior; this depsite the fact that we have seen essentially the same >>phenomenon a half dozen times since (but in places that "we" in the West >>have been able to dismiss as not being "us": the Soviet Union under >>Stalin, China under Mao during the cultural revolution, Uganda under Amin, >>Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, East Timor under Indonesia, Rwanda,... >>there are more, some going on now). The more we deny it, the more likely >>we are to repeat it. >> >>Chris Green >>York U. >>Toronto >>=========== >>>****************************************************************** >>> >>>[tips] Milgram's obedience experiment: replication >>> >>>sblack >>>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:13:29 -0800 >>> >>>According to an item on CNN: >>> >>>ww.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/12/19/milgram.experiment.obedience/index.h tml >>> >>>American Psycholgist is set to publish in its January 2009 edition a >>>replication of the classic Milgram study. This is the one that no one >>>thought could ever be attempted again, given current restrictions imposed >>>by research ethics committees and the concern that the study may have >>>caused lasting harm to its participants. But it now has been done again, >>>by Jerry Burger at Santa Clara University, albeit with some tweaking of >>>the methodology to alleviate concern. >>> >>>According to the CNN report, it finds that the original Milgram findings >>>hold up well today, almost 50 years later. We seem to be about as >>>obedient as we once were. Scary, isn't it? >>> >>>I checked at the AP site, and the study doesn't appear to be out yet. >>> >>>Stephen >>>--------------------------------------------------------- -------- >>>Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. >>>Professor of Psychology, Emeritus >>>Bishop's University e-mail: [email protected] >>>2600 College St. >>>Sherbrooke QC J1M 1Z7 >>>Canada >>> >>>--- >>>To make changes to your subscription contact: >>> >>>Bill Southerly ([email protected]) >>> >>> >>> >> >> >>--- >>To make changes to your subscription contact: >> >>Bill Southerly ([email protected]) > > >--- >To make changes to your subscription contact: > >Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
