... most people would obey orders if someone in authority issued them. The ethical issues arising from Milgram's experiment were protection from harm and deception. Participants could have been psychologically damaged and they were not aware that the learner was an accomplice and that the electric shocks were not real. In order for research to be justified, Social Psychologists have to weigh up whether the ends (benefits to society) justify the means (potential distress to participants); this is known as a "cost benefit analysis". Milgram argued that the participants had to be deceived in order for the study to take place. Following debriefing 84% of the participants said they were glad they had taken part. He also defended the study against criticism that the participants were not protected from psychological harm, stating that they were all fully debriefed and then examined one year later, which revealed no signs of psychological damage. Participants who wanted ...

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