What is Psychology (Part 1)

What is Psychology?

In July 1961, at Harvard University, psychologist Stanley Milgram began one of the most shocking (in more ways than one) experiments in the history of psychology. In what is known as the Obedience Study, volunteer research subjects -- average people -- readily inflicted what they believed to be very painful and perhaps even harmful electric shocks on innocent victims when instructed to do so by someone in a position of authority. Stanley Milgram’s Obedience Study serves as a powerful illustration of the importance of one’s worldview perspective in the study of psychology – even when answering the question “What is Psychology?”

In the history of Mankind, many atrocities have been committed in the name of obedience to authority. The murder of millions of Jews may have originated in the mind of one NView blogazi, but it could only have been accomplished if many others obeyed an immoral authority.

Milgram’s Obedience Study involved an elaborate deception involving three participants and an ominous shock generator. The subject served as “the teacher.” Confederates, paid actors playing roles, served as “the learner” and “the teacher.”

Subjects responded to local newspaper ads offering $4 for to participants in a study of memory. Milgram’s real purpose however, was to learn about obedience to authority.

In each trial of the experiment, the subjects were made to believe that they were one of two subjects and that he was selected teacher by chance to serve as the teacher when in fact, it’s rigged. Before beginning the “teaching,” the subjects were connected to the receiving end of the shock generator and experienced a mild shock. The subject is made to believe that the shock generator delivers real shocks, and then watches as the confederate playing the learner is connected.

The teachers were seated on the other side of a wall, unseen to the learner, in front of the shock generator which had a series of toggle switches labeled in 15 volt increments – from 15 to 450 volts. They asked a series memory questions and delivered ever-increasing shock levels for each incorrect answer. The learner gave incorrect answers according to a script and his responses to the shocks were recorded. Early mistakes got slight “shocks” so the teacher heard “ouch.”  Later, as the shock level increased to moderate, strong, very strong, extreme intensity, danger severe, then XXX, the teacher heard “ouch, open the door and get me out of here!” then, “hey that hurts, let me out of here!!”  The teacher heard banging on the wall and complaints of “I have a heart condition – let me out of here!!!”– and then silence – no response. Next question, no response, shock, no response, next question…

At some point, in response to the learner’s complaints, each teacher turned to the experimenter and asked to stop – or at least questioned whether to continue. The stern professorial looking experimenter wearing a white lab coat had been trained to provide the same 4 responses to teachers’ requests to stop.

The 1^st time the teacher questioned whether to continue the experimenter said “Please continue”

2^nd time: “The experiment requires that you continue”

3^rd time: “It is absolutely essential that you continue”

4^th time: “You have no other choice, you must go on”

If the teacher still wished to stop after 4 verbal prods, it was over; otherwise the shocks continued until the subject had given the maximum (450 volt -- XXX) shock, 3 times in succession.

What would have done if you had been a subject in this experiment?

How do you recognize immoral authority?

When is ok to disobey authorities?

What do you think the subjects did? What percentage went all the way?

What does this experiment have to do with the question “what is Psychology?"