Explain ethical issues that may arise in social psychological research, such as Milgram’s (1963) obedience research
Milgram’s obedience study raised major ethical issues, particularly deception, lack of informed consent, and psychological harm. Participants misled about true purpose of study, believing they were administering real electric shocks to a learner. This deception meant they couldn’t give fully informed consent.
Psychological harm another concern, many participants showed visible signs of distress such as sweating, trembling + nervous laughter. Some believed they had seriously hurt/killed someone, which could have had long-lasting effects
Milgram defended the study by noting that 84% of participants said they were glad to have taken part, and full debriefing eventually occurred However, Perry (2012) criticised this, noting some participants waited up to a year to be debriefed, which could have prolonged their distress.
