"Milgram's and Zimbardo's studies provoked public outcry partly because of the actual findings but also because of the ethical issues raised" - To what extent can social influence research studies be justified in terms of the ethical issues they raised.

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"Milgram's and Zimbardo's studies provoked public outcry partly because of the actual findings but also because of the ethical issues raised"

To what extent can social influence research studies be justified in terms of the ethical issues they raised. (12 marks)

        Two studies that have looked into social influence are Zimbardo's experiment, in which he carried out a simulation of a prison situation at Stanford University, and also Milgram's experiment. This experiment involved a participant acting in the role of a teacher and giving a confederate victim an electric shock, the shock was not real but the teacher or participant thought it was.

        In Zimbardo's experiment twenty two male participants took part and were paid. Participants were split up into guards and prisoners. Prisoners were arrested from their homes and taken to prison where they were deloused, showered and given uniforms and numbers. Guards had uniforms and reflective dark glasses which made them more impersonal. The study was abandoned after six days bacuase the guards were too brutal.

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        This experiment carries alot of negative ethical issues which combined with many 'faults' in the methodology has made many people question the true worth of the experiment and whether the ends justify the means. The problems became evident in this experiment when the true aim of the research was hidden from the partcipants and they did not know what was going to happen to them within it's duration. Thus, the participants could not give informed consent which leads to many problems involving deception. During the test, the participants were put through a series of humiliating and dehumanizing tasks. Such as ...

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