Comparing Milgram's Experiment On Obedience And Power

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Milgram’s experiment on obedience and power is arguably one of the most important experiments conducted in social psychology. However, the original experiment can only be conducted by breaking the principle of nonmaleficence. As such, without the ability to replicate the experiment without violating nonmaleficence its findings are limited to the situation of the original experiment. However, through the work of Prof. Burger (2009) and Prof. Dolinski (2017), Milgram’s experiment has been replicated in the modern century and without violating nonmaleficence. Thus, if these experiments accurately replicate Milgram’s findings, Milgram’s own findings can be applied to the full breadth of social psychology. Milgram’s experiment is often brought …show more content…

Both variations introduce verbal protests into the experiment and for variation 5 introduce the learner’s heart problem into the experiment. They are also the two variations replicated by Burger (variation 5) and Dolinski (variation 2). However, how can this be the case when they are much crueller than the original experiment? Burger observed that 150v was a turning point for the experiment which coincided with when the ‘learner’ began to wish to withdraw from the experiment. At this point, 6 of the teachers withdrew from the experiment with one withdrawing prior and most participants either verbally or nonverbally showed their reluctance to continue (Burger, 2009). This is similarly found in the 2nd variation with 5 participants withdrawing by the 150v switch (Milgram,1974). Thus, Burger proposed the experiment can be replicated up to the 150v switch and hence not violate nonmaleficence. This has allowed for the experiment to be replicated in areas of interest not previously explored in variations conducted by Milgram. For example, Dolinski’s replication was conducted in Poland, whose occupation by Nazi at the start of WWII may prove to influence their findings. Furthermore, the fact that these replications could occur reinforces that Baumrind’s concept of ‘inflicted insight’ applied to the murder of another human through complying with an authority