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From: lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: Milgram's Experiments on Obedience
Message-ID: <614@vortex.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 25-Mar-85 17:13:45 EST
Article-I.D.: vortex.614
Posted: Mon Mar 25 17:13:45 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 29-Mar-85 01:42:20 EST
References: <823@uwmacc.UUCP>
Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles
Lines: 24

In my undergraduate days at UCLA, I used to volunteer occasionally
as a subject in some of the various experiments that the psychology
department would be performing (I needed the money, and they paid
fairly well [comparatively] for an hour's work).  I once found myself
in a version of the exact experiment being discussed.  In this
case, I was supposed to go through the "shock" routine before and after
seeing a rather poor "stag film" to see how it affected my
aggressiveness at the shock board.

Unfortunately for the experimenter, I immediately recognized the
experiment and decided to have some fun.  I kept the shock levels
very low during the initial run, then BLASTED the thing (level 10,
or whatever it was) after the film.  The experimenter was really
impressed.  At the end, I admitted to him that I knew how the
whole experiment worked and had been playing with them.  I didn't
want them to screw up their statistical database by treating
my results as "real."  They were rather upset and amused at the same time.  

This sort of situation is always a risk if the experimental
subject figures out what's really going on in these experiments.
But in many cases, they probably never admit that they
haven't been making "real" responses.

--Lauren--