3 Famous Psychology Studies That Would Be Illegal Today

NeatoRama has an excellent post on 3 Famous Psychology Studies That Would Be Illegal Today. As they say:

What happened to the good old days, when a scientist could just rustle together some test subjects and let loose in the lab? You know, without having to worry about petty humane things…like ethics!

Complete with pretty photos of the culprits

1. Stanley Milgram’s Obedience Studies

In this Yale University study, participants were told they were part of an experiment on the effects of punishment [wiki] on learning. They were instructed to teach another participant (the “learner”) a list of words, and whenever the learner made a mistake, deliver an electric shock via a generator with levers labeled in 15-volt increments (up to 450 volts–where the label read “Danger: Severe Shock” and “XXX”).

2. Stanford Prison Experiments

In the summer of 1971 Philip Zimbardo put Stanford Students in jail. Students, who volunteered and were paid, were randomly assigned to be either guard or prisoner. The prisoners were surprised at their homes, handcuffed, and taken by police cruiser to makeshift jail in the basement of the psychology department. There they were stripped of their personal belongings and given smocks, nylon caps, and identification numbers. The uniformed guards were simply told to enforce the rules.

3. Little Albert

John Watson [wiki] and Rosalie Rayner conducted one of the most famous and controversial studies in psychology using an 11-month-old boy who came to be known as Little Albert [wiki]. With Little Albert, Watson demonstrated that many fears are conditioned through an association with other fearful situations.

See the original story at the blog link, where you will also find many links to additional information