Essay

According to Diana Baumrind's critique of Stanley Milgram's obedience research, what was Milgram's primary ethical failure once the study was underway, and what did she acknowledge about his knowledge before the study began?

Question: According to Diana Baumrind's critique of Stanley Milgram's obedience research, what was Milgram's primary ethical failure once the study was underway, and what did she acknowledge about his knowledge before the study began?

Sample answer: Diana Baumrind criticized Stanley Milgram for his lack of ethical follow-through during the obedience research. She acknowledged that Milgram could not have known in advance that participants would experience such severe negative reactions. However, she argued that because he observed their distress after testing the first few subjects, he had an obligation to monitor these unanticipated reactions and ethically adjust his research procedures at that point, which he failed to do.

Key points:

  • Baumrind acknowledged Milgram could not have known in advance that participants would experience severe negative reactions.
  • Milgram observed participant distress after testing the first few subjects.
  • Milgram failed to monitor these unanticipated reactions.
  • Milgram failed to ethically adjust his research procedures at that point.

Rubric: To receive full credit, the response must identify two main components: 1) Baumrind's acknowledgment that Milgram could not have foreseen the severe distress prior to starting the study, and 2) Baumrind's argument that Milgram's ethical failure lay in his failure to monitor the unanticipated distress and adjust his research procedures once he observed these reactions in the first few participants.

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Updated 2026-05-26

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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