Ethical Dilemmas: A Deep Dive into Controversial Psychology Experiments

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation expert, psychology educator, and author of the acclaimed "Everything Psychology Book."

Throughout the history of psychology, several experiments have sparked intense debate due to their controversial, unethical, and sometimes cruel nature. Thanks to modern ethical standards and oversight committees, such studies would be prohibited today. Below, we examine five of the most infamous examples.

Overview

Noteworthy unethical experiments include Harry Harlow’s attachment studies with monkeys, Stanley Milgram’s obedience research, Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford prison simulation, John Watson’s conditioning of Little Albert, and Martin Seligman’s learned helplessness trials.

The lessons learned from these studies have been instrumental in establishing strict ethical guidelines that govern psychological research today.

1. Harry Harlow’s Attachment Studies and the "Pit of Despair"

In the 1960s, psychologist Harry Harlow conducted groundbreaking yet distressing experiments to explore the vital role of love and attachment in development. His studies involved isolating infant rhesus monkeys from their mothers and peers.

Experimental Setup

Monkeys were raised with surrogate mothers made either from wire, which provided nourishment but no comfort, or soft cloth, which offered warmth and security. Harlow observed that monkeys sought comfort from the cloth mother despite the wire mother providing food.

Isolation Variations

Harlow also placed some monkeys in isolation chambers he dubbed the "pit of despair," where they were confined for up to a year. These monkeys exhibited severe emotional trauma, including social withdrawal and immobility.

Findings and Consequences

The isolated monkeys suffered from profound social deficits and were unable to engage in normal behaviors, including mating and parenting. To breed these monkeys, Harlow controversially used a device termed the "rape rack." The experiments were halted in 1985 following the American Psychological Association’s implementation of animal research ethics.

2. Stanley Milgram’s Obedience to Authority Experiment

Milgram’s experiment challenged assumptions about human morality by testing how far individuals would go in obeying authority, even when it involved harming another person.

Experiment Details

Participants were instructed to administer electric shocks to a person they believed was real, with shock levels increasing from 30 to 450 volts, labeled with escalating warnings. The “victim” was an actor pretending to be shocked.

Results

Surprisingly, many participants administered the highest shock levels despite hearing pleas for mercy, revealing unsettling insights into obedience and authority's power. However, the experiment caused significant emotional distress among participants.

3. Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment

Philip Zimbardo’s study investigated how situational factors influence behavior by simulating a prison environment with volunteers randomly assigned as guards or prisoners.

Experimental Design

The participants experienced realistic arrests, with prisoners in uniforms and guards tasked with maintaining order without physical violence. However, guards soon resorted to psychological abuse, including humiliation and solitary confinement.

Outcome

Originally planned for two weeks, the experiment was terminated after six days due to escalating abuse and psychological distress among prisoners. Intervention by a visiting graduate student highlighted the ethical crisis, prompting Zimbardo to end the study prematurely.

4. Watson and Rayner’s Little Albert Conditioning

Behaviorists John Watson and Rosalie Rayner conditioned a young boy, known as Little Albert, to fear a white rat by pairing the rat with loud, frightening noises. This fear generalized to other white, furry objects.

Ethical Concerns

Deliberately inducing fear in an infant is now recognized as unethical. Furthermore, the child was never deconditioned, and his true identity and fate remain subjects of debate, with some evidence suggesting he may have had cognitive impairments and died young.

5. Martin Seligman’s Learned Helplessness Research

In the late 1960s, Martin Seligman and Steven Maier studied how animals learn helplessness when exposed to uncontrollable shocks.

Study Method

Dogs were conditioned to expect shocks and then restrained so they could not escape. Later, when placed in a situation where escape was possible, the dogs failed to act, demonstrating learned helplessness.

Controversy

The study raised ethical concerns due to the distress and harm caused to the animals involved.

The Evolution of Ethical Standards in Psychology Research

Many of these once-common experiments are now prohibited due to strict ethical guidelines designed to protect human and animal subjects. Despite their disturbing nature, these studies have provided invaluable insights into behavior and prompted the development of comprehensive ethical standards that govern modern psychological research.

Understanding these historical experiments helps us appreciate the importance of ethics in research and the ongoing commitment to humane treatment in the pursuit of knowledge.

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• Social Psychology

7 Sources

Verywell Mind relies on high-quality, peer-reviewed research to ensure accuracy and reliability. Learn more about our editorial standards and fact-checking process.

1. Blum, Deborah. Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection. New York: Basic Books; 2011.
2. Sperry L. Mental Health and Mental Disorders: An Encyclopedia of Conditions, Treatments, and Well-Being. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood; 2016.
3. Marcus S. Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View. New York: Harper &. The New York Times.
4. Le Texier T. Debunking the Stanford Prison Experiment. Am Psychol. 2019;74(7):823-839. doi:10.1037/amp0000401
5. Fridlund AJ, Beck HP, Goldie WD, Irons G. Little Albert: A neurologically impaired child. Hist Psychol. 2012;15(4):302-27. doi:10.1037/a0026720
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By Kendra Cherry, MSEd
Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

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