Excelsior PSY305 2020 December Module 2 Discussion Latest

PSY305 RESEARCH METHODS

Module 2 Discussion

DQ1 Metacognitive Moments

Start this module off with your thoughts on Stanley Milgram's research. You'll need to watch the film, Experimenter (streamable via Amazon or Sundance Now; if you are a YouTube TV subscriber you can view it for free), or read his research article (Links to an external site.) first.

ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS

Week 3:

Discuss why you think Milgram's research might be considered a nonexperimental design based on your understanding of what constitutes experimental design.

Week 4:

Based on what you have learned in this module, define reliability and validity in your own words. Has your understanding of these two concepts changed? Do you have any lingering questions about these concepts?

DQ2 The Deception

Stanley Milgram, a Yale University social psychologist, conducted an experiment in 1963 that is considered to be one of the most famous unethical studies in social psychology. This experiment was a behavioral study of obedience that involved subjects “administering” electrical shocks at the behest of the experimenter to actors recruited by Milgram to participate in the study. 

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS

For this activity, watch the movie, Experimenter (streamable via Amazon or Sundance Now), and the video above, which provides additional insight into why Stanley Milgram wanted to conduct the study and shows actual footage from the study when participants were administering the shocks.

Consider:

Do you think that the cost (i.e., the psychological harm) to the participants in the study was worth the knowledge we gained? Why or why not?

If we wanted to conduct Milgram’s study today, what would we need to change to meet today’s ethical standards?

How do you think the changes you outlined in response to the question above would impact the results of the study? Be sure to explain your reasoning.

When responding to your colleagues, pretend that you are a member of an Internal Review Board (IRB) that is reviewing the “revised” Milgram study (i.e., the one that is taking today’s ethical standards into consideration). You need to determine whether the “revised” study sufficiently meets the ethical standards. To do this, you should ask follow-up questions and make suggestions for any additional changes that are needed. Be sure that your responses is rooted in the ethical standards discussed in Module 1. 

Your initial post is due by Thursday at 11:59 PM ET during the first week of the module. In addition, you are required to make 3 response posts on at least two different days following your initial post (i.e., you will need to be actively engaged in the discussion on three different days over the course of the two weeks). All response posts are due by Sunday of the second week at 11:59 PM ET.