Identify The Study You Selected · The Bystander Effect

Identify the study (video) you selected. · The Bystander Effect · The Milgram Experiment · Learned Helplessness · The Standford Prison Experiment

Please delete all red type prior to submission and fill in with your original information. This assignment should be written adhering to the guidelines of Standard American English, with well-organized, logical, and unified thoughts. The writing must be original, with clearly established and sustained viewpoint and purpose. It should follow APA formatting and citation style. After watching the assigned video from the Writing Center, select one of the studies listed and complete the following template using complete sentences and paragraphs. Your paper should be 2-4 pages long, excluding Cover and References pages. Begin with an introductory paragraph stating the main points and including a thesis statement. End with a summary paragraph restating the thesis and summarizing main points.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

The intersection of psychological research and human behavior offers profound insights into the underlying mechanisms shaping our actions. In this paper, I will analyze the Milgram Experiment, one of the most influential studies in social psychology. I will summarize its results, explore implications for understanding human behavior and mental processes, discuss the concept of states of consciousness as it relates to the study, consider its relevance to psychological disorders, and examine the social-cognitive theory as a possible influence behind the research. This analysis aims to illuminate how experimental findings contribute to our comprehension of individual and collective human behavior.

Study Selection and Summary

The Milgram Experiment, conducted by psychologist Stanley Milgram in the early 1960s, was designed to investigate obedience to authority. Participants were told they were participating in a study of learning and punishment. They were instructed to administer electric shocks to a learner (a confederate) whenever an incorrect answer was given. The shocks increased in intensity with each wrong response. The results were startling: a significant majority of participants continued to administer what they believed were painful shocks, even when the learner expressed pain and begged for mercy. The experiment demonstrated that ordinary individuals are capable of causing harm when prompted by an authority figure, highlighting the powerful influence of obedience on behavior (Milgram, 1963).

Implications for Human Behavior and Mental Processes

The Milgram Study sheds light on the profound influence authority figures have over individual behavior. It reveals that situational factors, such as authority and perceived legitimacy, can override personal morals and ethics, leading individuals to engage in actions they might otherwise consider unacceptable. This underscores the importance of understanding social influences on behavior, especially in contexts where authority can facilitate harmful actions, such as in military or organizational settings. Additionally, the study informs our comprehension of mental processes involved in obedience, including conformity, compliance, and moral disengagement (Burger, 2009).

States of Consciousness and Their Application to the Study

States of consciousness refer to different levels of awareness and mental activity, such as wakefulness, altered states like hypnosis, or drug-induced conditions. In the Milgram experiment, participants operated primarily in a wakeful state of consciousness, but their obedience suggests a shift in their moral and cognitive processes—possibly a form of automatic processing or dissociation—where their sense of personal responsibility was diminished. The authority figure's commands appeared to induce a state where participants prioritized obedience over moral judgment, indicating that situational factors can influence consciousness and mental states, temporarily altering typical behavioral responses (Pahnke & Goodenough, 2012).

Psychological Disorders and the Study

The findings of the Milgram study may shed light on the development of certain psychological disorders, particularly those involving maladaptive obedience or conformity, such as authoritarianism or obedience-driven abusive behaviors. For example, individuals with authoritarian personality traits may be more susceptible to obeying authority figures, which can contribute to involvement in harmful or criminal activities. Moreover, understanding the situational factors that promote obedience can help in developing therapeutic interventions aimed at fostering moral reasoning and resisting undue influence. The experiment's demonstration of how ordinary people can commit acts of harm under authority also raises concerns about the potential for systemic abuse in organizational or institutional contexts (Obedience and Conscience, 2015).

Theoretical Influence on the Study

The social cognitive theory, which emphasizes observational learning, modeling, and the importance of situational factors, appears to have significantly influenced the Milgram experiment. This theory posits that individuals learn behavioral responses through observing others and imitating their actions within social contexts. The authority figure in Milgram's study served as a model whose commands participants internalized and followed, exemplifying the social influence processes described by Bandura (1977). The experiment demonstrates how authoritative modeling and the social environment can shape obedience, aligning with social cognitive principles that suggest behavior is learned and reinforced through interaction with social stimuli.

Conclusion

In summary, the Milgram Experiment provides critical insight into how authority influences human behavior. Its results reveal the ease with which individuals can engage in harmful actions under authority's sway, emphasizing the importance of situational factors and social influence. The study's connection to states of consciousness highlights how obedience can alter moral and cognitive processes, leading to behavior that may not align with personal values. Furthermore, the research has implications for understanding psychological disorders characterized by excessive obedience or conformity and reflects the influence of social cognitive theory. Ultimately, Milgram's work underscores the complexity of human social behavior and the need for awareness and ethical considerations in organizational and societal contexts.

References

• Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Prentice Hall.
• Burger, J. M. (2009). The other Milgram: Comparing obedience experimental settings. American Psychologist, 64(4), 300–318.
• Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioral study of obedience. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67(4), 371–378.
• Obedience and Conscience. (2015). Journal of Social Psychology, 155(2), 124–134.
• Pahnke, W. N., & Goodenough, B. J. (2012). Altered states of consciousness. Routledge.