Unethical Studies
White Coat
Milgram
1961 "White Coat"
Investigate the willingn
Willingess to obey authority when instructed to perform acts that conflict with morality
Surrogate Mother by
Harlow
1957-1963
Are children attached to mothers just because they are the ones who feed them?
Violist Washington Post 2007
To test how observant people are
Marshmallow St
Walter
& Mischel
1972
Can deferred gratification can be an indicator of future success
Kitty Genovese by NYPolice 1964
To discover why people sometimes do not intervene for the sake of others in need (bystander effect)
The Monster Study by
Menell
& Jonson
1939
The effects of positively and negatively reinforced speech therapy
Can automatic behaviors be learned?
Pavlov's Dogs 1890
Good Samaritan by
Parley
& Batson
1973
To investigate the potential causes that underlie altruistic behavior
Robber's Cave by
Muzafer
& Sherif
1954
To discover how group conflict and prejudice occur
Hawthorne Effect by
Landsberger
1955
Do humans change their behavior simply because they are being studied?
Zimbardo 1971 Stanford Prison
To study the assumption of roles in a contrived situation
Learned Helplessness by
Seligman
1967
Do animals (and humans) associate repeated negative situations with a helpless situation
Attentive Selection by
Simmons
& Chabris
1999
Investigate person’s ability to multi-task when asked to attend to a different task
Looking Chamber by Fantz 1961
To study infant development in vision
Little Albert by
Watson
& Rayner
1920
To discover if they could use stimulus to condition irrational fear in a nine-month-old
False Consensus by
Lee & Ross
1977
To study if people incorrectly assume that most people think the same way as they do
Bo Bo the Clown by
Bandura
1961-1963
To discover whether genetics, environment, or social learning shapes a child’s behavior
Conformity by
Asch
1951
To evaluate a person’s likelihood to conform under pressure
Car Crash by
Loftus
& Palmer
1974
To study whether (and how much) description affects perception.
A Class Divided by Elliott 1968
To help students understand the effects of racism and prejudice