After reading one of the classic studies in social psychology conducted by Stanl

Question

After reading one of the classic studies in social psychology conducted by Stanley Milgram (1963) and the current Ethical Guidelines for the Treatment of Human Subjects in Research (American Psychological Association), please answer the following questions:

1. Given the events chronicled in Milgram’s experiment and the ethical guidelines for the use of human subjects in psychological research, could this study be conducted today or would it be in violation of the APA’s ethical guidelines?

2. Weigh the benefits of the study versus the benefits of the ethical guidelines. If you were the researcher trying to get this study approved by the APA ethics board, what would your arguments be for approval by the APA.

3. In your opinion, are there times in which the APA ethical guidelines should be bypassed in favor of the possible value of the knowledge gained by the study’s results?

Explanation / Answer

1.Ethics in psychological research have become extremely important today than it was during Milgram's time especially when human subjects are involved.At the time, the Milgram experiment ethics seemed reasonable, but by the stricter controls in modern psychology, this experiment would not be allowed today. Milgram's generation needed conclusive answers about the 'final solution', and some closure on this chapter of human history. Deception was used by Milgram in his study.Modern ethical standards assert that participants in any experiment must not be deceived, and that they must be made aware of any consequences. In the interest of fairness, follow up research, performed after the experiment, indicated that there were no long term psychological effects on the participants.However, the fact that these people thought that they had caused suffering to another human being, could have caused severe emotional distress.This definitely is questionable concern today. Also the emotional distress the participants experienced had long lasting impact which can be detrimental to a researcher's career in today's time.Having informed consent is extrememly important and a necessary ethical standard today.Informing the clients about the purpose of the experiment is a requirement today and they cannot be deceived. So,yes,in todays time its diffcult to replicate Milgram's study but it did make its necessary contributions and researchers today can learn from it and not repeat the same mistakes. Due to time limit,remaining can be asked as another question,they will be answered,thankyou for your cooperation

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