Stanley Milgram was an American psychologist who famously conducted the Milgram experiment in the 1960s. The spelling of his name is pronounced /ˈstænli ˈmɪlɡrəm/ in IPA phonetic transcription. The stress falls on the first syllable of both his first and last name, and the "a" in "Stanley" is pronounced like "ah". The "i" in "Milgram" is pronounced like "ih" and the "r" is silent. Milgram's work on obedience and authority continues to be highly influential in the field of psychology today.
Stanley Milgram (1933-1984) was an American social psychologist renowned for his significant contributions to the study of obedience to authority and the ethics of psychological experimentation. Milgram's infamous obedience experiments, conducted in the early 1960s, examined people's willingness to comply with instructions that violated their own moral beliefs if they were commanded by an authority figure.
The Milgram experiments involved participants acting as "teachers" who were told to administer electric shocks to "learners" whenever they answered questions incorrectly. Unbeknownst to the participants, the learners were actors and the shocks were not real, but the teachers were led to believe they were causing extreme pain. Milgram's research demonstrated that a substantial number of participants were willing to administer increasingly dangerous shocks, even when they expressed discomfort or moral objections. His work shed light on the power of situational factors and the potential for ordinary individuals to engage in harmful acts under orders from authority.
Beyond the obedience experiments, Stanley Milgram made valuable contributions to areas such as small-world networks, social networks, and the diffusion of social influence. His research had a profound impact on psychology and continues to be referenced in various fields, including social psychology, ethics, and organizational behavior. Milgram's work opened up important debates about the rights of participants in psychological experiments and the moral implications of obedience to authority. Despite the ethical controversies surrounding his experiments, Stanley Milgram's contributions continue to be a significant reference in understanding human behavior in social contexts.