There has been research done on people's reactions to Milgram's work, and you're not alone. I remember watching that video in experimental psych with Dr. Blass, and many people in the class laughed at the video. Afterward, we discussed our reaction, and Blass pointed out how it was common for people to laugh while watching the video. Why? Are they completely heartless?? No, it was just a way that they expressed their obvious anxiety at even watching an actor portray human suffering. Many of the participants in the study laughed as well.
Fewer people would probably admit your reactions, though I'm sure that many experienced them as well. It's not an easy video to watch.
As for what it was like for the participants...well, Milgram's work is the reason why all research involving human subjects in the US must now pass the Institutional Review Board, or IRB. :) We had to get IRB approval for surveys done in university; Milgram's work started that because people questioned the ethics of the study. The participants were severely upset by not only what they had been asked to do but by what they had actually done. Also, there were some issues presented where Milgram did not properly debrief the participants, and they did not understand what the study was really about.
Now if you talked to Dr. Blass, he would tell you that most of the participants were grateful to participate in the study, despite the fact that it had been stressful. They learned a lot about themselves, they said, and one man even credited having participated in Milgram's study as the reason why he went on to be a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. Of course, Dr. Blass is a little biased...I think it's safe to say that the experience was really stressful for participants, though some--many even--also learned a lot from it and became "better people" for their participation in it.
no subject
Fewer people would probably admit your reactions, though I'm sure that many experienced them as well. It's not an easy video to watch.
As for what it was like for the participants...well, Milgram's work is the reason why all research involving human subjects in the US must now pass the Institutional Review Board, or IRB. :) We had to get IRB approval for surveys done in university; Milgram's work started that because people questioned the ethics of the study. The participants were severely upset by not only what they had been asked to do but by what they had actually done. Also, there were some issues presented where Milgram did not properly debrief the participants, and they did not understand what the study was really about.
Now if you talked to Dr. Blass, he would tell you that most of the participants were grateful to participate in the study, despite the fact that it had been stressful. They learned a lot about themselves, they said, and one man even credited having participated in Milgram's study as the reason why he went on to be a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. Of course, Dr. Blass is a little biased...I think it's safe to say that the experience was really stressful for participants, though some--many even--also learned a lot from it and became "better people" for their participation in it.