reminds me of portal
and bioshock
and half-life
and about a billion other games
would i keep going? probably.
and bioshock
and half-life
and about a billion other games
would i keep going? probably.
Poll: You're in the Milgram Experiment!
- Thread starter Dimensional Vortex
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Why would I agree to participate in an experiment that involved electric shocks if the other participant had a heart problem.
Like, seriously. Why would I even start it in the first place.
I'd tell the psychologist that he was medically unable to be involved in that way. I'd assume it was overlooked.
Then I imagine I'd be told some crap about how they were aware of this and maybe that the shocks wouldn't actually cause any complications. Then I'd agree to go ahead with it.
Not sure what I'd do when he started screaming. Probably ask for reaffirmation that he is not in any sort of mortal danger.
If I am assured again, possibly repeatedly, that no, he will not plop dead in the next room, I might keep going along. For science.
At no point, I think, would I be doing anything solely because some guy in a white coat told me to. I am too actively contemptuous of authority.
Like, seriously. Why would I even start it in the first place.
I'd tell the psychologist that he was medically unable to be involved in that way. I'd assume it was overlooked.
Then I imagine I'd be told some crap about how they were aware of this and maybe that the shocks wouldn't actually cause any complications. Then I'd agree to go ahead with it.
Not sure what I'd do when he started screaming. Probably ask for reaffirmation that he is not in any sort of mortal danger.
If I am assured again, possibly repeatedly, that no, he will not plop dead in the next room, I might keep going along. For science.
At no point, I think, would I be doing anything solely because some guy in a white coat told me to. I am too actively contemptuous of authority.
I wonder if I would even care for the subject's pain or question the validity of the experiment at all.
I've long since learnt not to care what people think of my general social awkwardness / geekiness. I'd refuse to administer the first shock - and start whaling on the guy who asked me to do it. Not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, that I would refuse because I have almost zero respect for authority figures (or anybody else)...
Its a flawed experiment.
Firstly as in the premise you have told us it is a trick he is an actor. Therefore we know our actions have no consequence.
Secondly we have no motivation to take part in the experiment, I mean read words and torture someone just because? That isn't normal behaviour. A better question is if he gets the answer wrong either you or him take a shock.
Thirdly while voltage over 500 volts (actually due to the correspondingly high current of more than 1A) will cause internal burns (in anyone) it is high current (70?700 mA) that will induce a heart attack not high voltage.
Finally as electric shocks can remove muscular control especially to the heart and lungs, and consciousness if administered through the head it is unlikely that he would make the level of noise described.
Firstly as in the premise you have told us it is a trick he is an actor. Therefore we know our actions have no consequence.
Secondly we have no motivation to take part in the experiment, I mean read words and torture someone just because? That isn't normal behaviour. A better question is if he gets the answer wrong either you or him take a shock.
Thirdly while voltage over 500 volts (actually due to the correspondingly high current of more than 1A) will cause internal burns (in anyone) it is high current (70?700 mA) that will induce a heart attack not high voltage.
Finally as electric shocks can remove muscular control especially to the heart and lungs, and consciousness if administered through the head it is unlikely that he would make the level of noise described.
Err, actually you DO have a choice according to the parameters of the experiment. It's about determining how willing people are to follow the instructions of authority figures. (the authority figure in this case being the scientist)Kysafen said:
Since I am rather distrustful of authority figures and often question them I'd probably demand to know the specifics of the experiment and to what purpose I would serve in shocking and continuing to shock the test-subject for getting the answers wrong. Were the scientist to tell me that I can't know but that I must continue I would refuse to continue.
Personally, I dont like being ordered to do things I feel uncomfortable with. So if the experimenter said "you must go on" id tell him to fuck off, more as an affront to him then actually caring about the "learner". Then again, this experiment is meant to create an environment in which you feel pressured to keep going, so who really knows.
The degree of how susceptible to social pressure someone is, is a subjective matter.Vanaron said:
Some are extremely sensitive to social pressure, others don't even care...
I don?t know what I would have done in that kind of situation but I hope that I would not keep going but I can?t rely tell because I haven?t experienced it, But I would fell horrible if I would continue pressing the button while herring the ?nice? man scream for mercy.
I believe that, for the sake of the forum, we are supposed to assume that you have no outside knowledge of the experiment and that we wouldn't figure it out. So, for sake of argument let's say you had no way of knowing that the experiment is a setup. As for me, I would probably do it. I am not a rebel. I submit to authority almost always. I would continue because I couldn't see it and an authoritarian figure was urging me on.HSIAMetalKing said:
I've ran this through my head a few times and I can tell you that I probably wouldn't stop. I would stop and question them, but after a few reassurances, I would probably continue. However I don't know how long I would be able to continue even after being reassured.
You could easily be right, it would be interesting (although impossible for several reasons) to carry out an identical experiment today. I would be interested to see if people would be less willing to give in as automatically to an authority figure, on the basis that it is more encouraged in modern times to think for yourself and to challenge ideas and concepts.Matt_LRR said:
Personally, I do believe that the results would still be similar but that idea is something I have thought about since I first read about this experiment. I think it's worth at least some thought, but as I mentioned it would be impossible to carry out based on legal restrictions as well as the famous nature of the experiment rendering it useless as so many people are familiar with it.
Comparing the results of the poll (thus far more people believe that they wouldn't go on) I can safely draw the conclusion that people like to believe that they are more independent than they are. One of the biggest flaws in human character is that we are convinced of our own individuality and independence. The average results from the experiment stated that roughly two-thirds of the participants went all the way to the greatest shock. The people who responded yes are more truthful, or at least more aware of their limits, than the others taking part in the poll.
This kind of defeats the point of the experiment. The point is that, of course, for the most part, we all think we would stop. But no matter how much we think that, most of us would keep going.
Case in point: I THINK I would stop. But you, as a student of Psychology who has read this study, have no reason to believe me. I, as a student of Psychology, can't help but be suspicious of my own intuition. The only caveat is that if the experiment were recognizable to me, then I may disagree with the experimenter because I know whats going on.
Case in point: I THINK I would stop. But you, as a student of Psychology who has read this study, have no reason to believe me. I, as a student of Psychology, can't help but be suspicious of my own intuition. The only caveat is that if the experiment were recognizable to me, then I may disagree with the experimenter because I know whats going on.
Absurd. How can you "safely draw that conclusion"? Two-thirds of a small sample group chose to continue, therefore all of humanity is dependent in nature? You must see the flawed logic there.Willj01776 said:
And accusing everyone who didn't answer the poll how you think they should have of being either a liar or delusional seems rather obtuse, don't you think?
Almost no one can answer this question accurately. If you're in the Milgram experiment and know you're in the Milgram experiment, the experiment has failed in setting up its parameters properly and in effect isn't the experiment we all know and feel deeply creeped out about with regard to its revelations about the nature of humanity love.
You don't even have to be familiar with the particular experiment. Being familiar with scientific methods overall would pretty much be sufficient to deduce that there's something iffy about the entire situation...Xanadu84 said: