NAME: ISAAC ANTWI

INDEX: NUMBER: COH201907O56

COURSE: MEDICAL ETHICS AND PROFESSIONALISM

TUTOR: MR. EBENEZER KISSI

CLASS: DPA 400

ASSIGNMENT 1

Watch the video clip, Milgram Experiment attached in your various class groups and note the
following:

1. Ethical Issues in the experiment related to -

a. Procedure

b. Participation

2. General conclusion on the study

Ethical Issues in the Milgram Experiment:

a. Procedure: One of the main ethical issues in the Milgram Experiment was the potential
psychological harm inflicted on the participants. The experiment involved placing participants in
a situation where they were instructed to administer electric shocks to another person (a
confederate) when they answered questions incorrectly. While the shocks were not real, the
participants were led to believe that they were. This deception and the resulting psychological
distress experienced by some participants raised concerns about the potential long-term effects
on their well-being.
b. Participation: Another ethical concern related to the issue of informed consent and the
voluntary nature of participation. Milgram recruited participants through newspaper
advertisements, and while they were informed about the general nature of the experiment,
they were not fully aware of the potential psychological stress and distress they could
experience during the procedure. Moreover, the power dynamics between the experimenter
and the participant created a situation where the participants might have felt pressured to
continue despite their discomfort or objections.

General Conclusion on the Milgram Experiment:

The Milgram Experiment was a series of studies conducted by psychologist Stanley Milgram in
the 1960s to examine the extent to which individuals would obey authority figures, even when
it conflicted with their personal conscience. The general conclusion drawn from the Milgram
Experiment is that a significant portion of ordinary people, under certain conditions, can be led
to administer potentially harmful electric shocks to others when instructed to do so by an
authority figure.

Milgram's findings revealed the remarkable power of situational influences and social pressures
on human behavior. The experiment demonstrated that obedience to authority can override
individual moral judgment and lead people to engage in actions they would not have otherwise
performed. This raised important ethical and moral questions about the role of personal
responsibility, the potential for blind obedience, and the limits of individual autonomy in the
face of authority.

However, the Milgram Experiment also sparked significant ethical debates and criticisms due to
the psychological distress experienced by some participants. The study's design and the
emotional strain imposed on participants raised questions about the balance between scientific
knowledge and the potential harm inflicted on human subjects. As a result, the Milgram
Experiment played a crucial role in shaping contemporary ethical guidelines for research
involving human participants, emphasizing the importance of informed consent, debriefing, and
minimizing potential harm.

It is worth noting that since the Milgram Experiment, ethical standards for psychological
research have evolved, and many aspects of the study would not be considered acceptable
today without significant modifications to protect participant well-being and autonomy.