Journal 4-2
Last month I asked what happened to Heather Artinian after the Sound and Fury ended. I learned that she eventually did get the cochlear implant at the age of nine. All of the other members of her immediate family also received implants. Heather adjusted well to the hearing world and says she is a part of both; she uses sign language and speech to communicate. She had a very successful high school career academically, athletically, and socially. She recently finished her freshman year at Georgetown University and hopes to become a lawyer.
This past week in class we have studied the Asch, Milgram, and Stanford psychology experiments. The Milgram experiment began in 1961, shortly after the start of trials of Nazi war criminals. Stanley Milgram wanted to test humans' obedience to authority, because many Nazis claimed they were just "following orders" even if the heinous crimes they committed compromised their morals. The experiment involves a experimenter, teacher, and learner. The learner is supposed to memorize word pairs, and the teacher quizzes them on the word pairs. For every answer the learner gets wrong, the teacher gives them an electric shock with voltage that increases every question. The learner is not actually receiving any shock at all, but the teacher is in a separate room and believes they are harming the learner. If the teacher gets uncomfortable or cannot continue, the experimenter is there to goad them to keep asking questions and administering shocks on purpose.
The Asch experiment deals with the power of conformity. In it a group of volunteers were asked to take a vision test, but in reality only one is actually taking the test while the other five to seven people know the true aims of the experiment and are answering incorrectly on purpose. Even though they give answers that are clearly wrong, the subject will often agree with them even though he knows they are wrong.
The Stanford Prison experiment was conducted by Philip Zimbardo. In the basement of the Stanford pyschology building a mock prison was constructed and 24 students were randomly divided in prisoners and guards. The experiment was supposed to last two weeks, but was ended after six days. The prisoners guards had surpassed Zimbardo's expectations as to fulfilling their roles and the situation had become dangerous and psychologically damaging. Zimbardo concluded that the situation, rather than the personality of the participants, had caused the participant's behavior.
I enjoyed studying these experiments. I have always been interested in psychology and intend to minor in it in college. At the same time, the results of the experiments slightly freak me out, especially the Milgram and Stanford experiments. It is strange to think people would knowingly inflict harm on another person and not take blame for it, because they were just doing what they were told. I believe that everyone is responsible for their only actions; the only person who can live your life is you. Only you can control what you do, and when you do something wrong you should take blame for it. Growing up we are constantly told to obey authority like our parents, teachers, police officers, and et cetera. Even if those authority figures abuse that power and the things we are forced to do compromise what we think is right, these experiments prove that many people will follow orders anyway.
I agree that the results of these experiments were caused by the situation. The guards in the Stanford prison experiment were not evil or sadistic people, but when they were given the power to do with the prisoners as they pleased, they abused that power. Not to mention it was a group of eighteen to twenty something males. Any guy that age given that much power over a group of his peers would abuse it and mess around with them a little. The Milgram experiments also reflected the influence of the situation. If teacher had the choice i doubt they would have continued to administer shocks. But the offically looking scientist is sitting in the room forcing you to continue, and few people would have the courage to defy them. Why that is I don't know. The outcome of the experiment is unsettling, but at the same time I understand (even though I don't condone it) why many of the teachers continued. I can also understand why the subject of the Asch experiment would choose obviously wrong answers. I think it comes down to the confidence of the subject, not their intelligence. Once you pick an answer you believe to be correct, only self doubt will cause you to change your answer. If you are confident in your abilities you would pick the right answers despite everyone else choosing wrong answers.
The Asch experiment reminded me of high school. Especially the need teenagers feel to fit in with their peers. I know many people who will do something they know is wrong and/or stupid and/or illegal just so they can fit in with everyone else. No one wants to stand out, especially if it means doing something deemed "uncool." So they will do whatever is considered cool, even when they know it is wrong. If everyone else is doing it, why wouldn't you?
Works Cited
1) Where is Heather Artininan Today?. (n.d.). Cochlear Implant Online. Retrieved May 1, 2012, from http://cochlearimplantonline.com/site/where-is-heather-artinian-today/
2) About Us. (n.d.). http://www.umaihealth.com. Retrieved June 7, 2012, from http://www.umaihealth.com/images/AboutMe.html
3) Asch conformity experiments. (n.d.). www.wikipedia.org. Retrieved June 7, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments
4) Milgram experiment. (n.d.). www.wikipedia.org. Retrieved June 7, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment
5) Stanford prison experiment. (n.d.).www.wikipedia.org. Retrieved June 7, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment
