Is it ethical?

APA standards for Ethical Research

• Get informed consent
• Freedom to withdraw at any time (no coercion)
• Protect subjects from harm (physical or emotional)
• Debriefing
• Anonymity / confidentiality
• Approval by an institutional review board (IRB)
 Is it ethical?

1. Zimbardo – Power of the Situation – The

Stanford Prison Experiment

Zimbardo wanted to study whether a bad situation could make good

people do bad things.
He created a "prison" in the basement of the Stanford psychology
building and randomly assigned the research subjects (all male college
students) into either the role or prison guard or prisoner. Both groups got
uniforms and the prisoners were put through a series of rituals to
simulate being taken into custody (they were picked up from their homes by a
squad car, fingerprinted, etc)
 Is it ethical?

1. Zimbardo – Power of the Situation – The

Stanford Prison Experiment

The experiment was supposed to last 14 days but was stopped after just
six days. "Prison guards" made "prisoners" do embarrassing and stupid
things. "Prisoners" cried in their cells and complained about their
circumstances. Some "prisoners" even got physically ill but none of them ever
demanded to leave.

http://www.learner.org/resources/series138.html#
Fast forward to 13min. Stop at 20 min.
Is it ethical?

1. Zimbardo – Power of the Situation – The

Stanford Prison Experiment

Was this study ethical? It depends who you ask.

Let's put it to the test:

Approved by an IRB (Institutional Review Board)?

No, Zimbardo's research was not reviewed by an IRB - they didn't exist yet
(they were, in part created, as a reaction to the criticism this research
received)
Is it ethical?

1. Zimbardo – Power of the Situation – The

Stanford Prison Experiment

Was this study ethical? It depends who you ask.

Let's put it to the test:

Get informed consent?

Yes, Zimbardo clearly explained the purpose of the experiment.

Is it ethical?

1. Zimbardo – Power of the Situation – The

Stanford Prison Experiment

Was this study ethical? It depends who you ask.

Let's put it to the test:

Were subjects coerced? Could they leave at any time?

Zimbardo did not coerce his research subjects. They were paid a nominal
fee and were paid whether they stayed for the entire experiment or not.
 Is it ethical?
1. Zimbardo – Power of the Situation – The
Stanford Prison Experiment
Was this study ethical? It depends who you ask.
Let's put it to the test:
Was their risk of physical or emotional harm?
In regards to physical harm, some "Prisoners" got sick, but no long-term
illnesses were a result of this experiment. In addition, many research subjects
(particularly the "prisoners") experienced mental anguish during the course of
the experiment. The key factor in determining if it was ethical or not, however,
rests with whether you consider this mental distress LONG TERM or not. In
interviews 6 months + after the experiment, several of the "prisoners" still
reported having difficulty trusting others.
 Is it ethical?

1. Zimbardo – Power of the Situation – The

Stanford Prison Experiment

Was this study ethical? It depends who you ask.

Let's put it to the test:

Were subjects debriefed?

Yes, Zimbardo told his research subjects the true purpose of his research
and shared his results.
 Is it ethical?

1. Zimbardo – Power of the Situation – The

Stanford Prison Experiment

Was this study ethical? It depends who you ask.

Let's put it to the test:

Confidentiality/Anonymity?

Yes, Zimbardo kept the identity of his research subjects confidential

 Is it ethical?

2. Milgram – Study of Obedience

Milgram wanted to study obedience. Since telling people that they would
be research subjects in an experiment about obedience would likely cause
behaviors to change, Milgram deceived his subjects and told them that they
would be participating in an experiment about learning. (Remember:
deception is allowed if its benefits outweighs any risks and great care is taken
to debrief research subjects and ensure that they are safe from physical and
emotional harm.)
Is it ethical?

2. Milgram – Study of Obedience

Milgram brought each research subject into the room and told them they
would be participating in a study of learning and that they had been
assigned the role of "teacher". A confederate (someone who is in on the
research) was also present in the room and assigned the role of "learner.”
The research subjects, "the teachers," watched as the confederate (the
"learners") were strapped to a chair and connected to an electric shock
generator.
(The shock generator wasn't actually connected to anything so no shocks
were actually delivered. No one was physically harmed during this
experiment.)
Is it ethical?

2. Milgram – Study of Obedience

The "teacher" went to another room and was sat in front of what
appeared to be a shock generator. The shocks were labeled things like
"Extreme intensity shock" and "Dangerous" and finally "XXX.” The "teacher"
was instructed to administer a shock for every wrong answer and make the
shocks progressively stronger. If a "teacher" expressed concern about
continuing or the welfare of the learner, a man in a lab coat (an authority
figure) simply instructed them to continue.
Is it ethical?

2. Milgram – Study of Obedience

Milgram thought that maybe one person in 100 would go all the way
and administer shocks marked "400 volts XXX.” In fact, 66% of people did.
Milgram debriefed his subjects and kept their names confidential.
When Milgram shared his results, the headlines in major publications
around the country said things like, "If Hitler Asked You To Execute A
Stranger Would You? Probably."
Milgram made the connection between the behavior of his research
subjects and the actions of Nazi soldiers who killed people "because they
were just following orders".
Is it ethical?

2. Milgram – Study of Obedience

Was this study ethical? It depends who you ask.

Let's put it to the test:

Approved by an IRB (Institutional Review Board)?

No, Milgram's research was not reviewed by an IRB - they didn't exist yet
(they were, in part created, as a reaction to the criticism this research
received)
Is it ethical?

2. Milgram – Study of Obedience

Was this study ethical? It depends who you ask.

Let's put it to the test:

Get Informed Consent?

No, Milgram deceived his subjects and told them this was a test of learning.
(Remember: deception is allowed if its benefits outweighs any risks and
great care is taken to debrief research subjects and ensure that they are safe
from physical and emotional harm.)
Is it ethical?

2. Milgram – Study of Obedience

Was this study ethical? It depends who you ask.

Let's put it to the test:

Were subjects coerced? Could they leave at any time?

Milgram did not coerce his research subjects. They were paid a nominal fee
and were paid whether they stayed for the entire experiment or not.
Is it ethical?

2. Milgram – Study of Obedience

Was this study ethical? It depends who you ask.

Let's put it to the test:

Was their risk of physical or emotional harm?

No physical harm was done. However, many research subjects experienced

mental anguish at the prospect of "having to" deliver painful shocks to
another person. The key factor in determining if it was ethical or not,
however, rests with whether you consider this mental distress LONG TERM
or not.
Is it ethical?

2. Milgram – Study of Obedience

Was this study ethical? It depends who you ask.

Let's put it to the test:

Were subjects debriefed?

Yes, Milgram told his reearch subjects the true purpose of his research
and shared his results.
Is it ethical?

2. Milgram – Study of Obedience

Was this study ethical? It depends who you ask.

Let's put it to the test:

Confidentiality/Anonymity?

Yes, Milgram kept the identity of his research subjects confidential