The American Psychological Association (APA) has a Code of Conduct which describes rules concerning ethics in

psychological experiments, and review boards are in place to enforce these ethics. But in the past, the standards were

not so strict, which is how some very famous studies in psychology came about.
Read about (and watch) the following psychological studies that would, today, be considered unethical. In a 2-3 page

essay, respond to the following questions. Be sure to address all of the studies when answering each question, and be

specific in your answers.
What is it about each of these studies that makes them unethical?
Does the benefit of learning the results of these studies outweigh the potential harm of conducting the studies? Why or

why not?
If you wanted to replicate these studies, what (if anything) could you do in order to meet the APA’s Code of Conduct and

ethical standards?
The Milgram Experiment
Yale psychologist Stanley Milgram hoped to further understand how so many people came to participate in the cruel acts

of the Holocaust. He theorized that people are generally inclined to obey authority figures, posing the question, “Could

it be that Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders? Could we call them all

accomplices?” In 1961, he began to conduct experiments of obedience.
Watch the following video: Obedience to Authority

The Little Albert Experiment
At Johns Hopkins University in 1920, John Watson conducted a study of classical conditioning on a 9-month-old baby he

called Albert B. The young boy started the experiment loving animals, particularly a white rat, but when Watson started

pairing the presence of the rat with the loud sound of a hammer hitting metal, Albert began to develop a fear of the

white rat as well as most animals and furry objects.
Watch the following video: Little Albert
The Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes Experiment
Jane Elliott was not a psychologist, but she developed a controversial exercise in 1968 by dividing students into a

blue-eyed group and a brown-eyed group, in an attempt to give her students hands-on experience with discrimination.
Watch the following video: Blue-eyed Versus Brown-eyed Students