Social Experiments & Theories

Summarize one of the experiments/theories below and provide insight into how this topic connects to The Book of Negroes.

Dr. Stanley Milgram (Yale 1961-62)

·            There was a teacher (a role intended to obey the orders of the Experimenter), a learner (the recipient of stimulus from the Teacher) and the experimenter (an authoritative role)

·            They were given various shocks if they answered a question wrong

·            In reality the learner was not receiving real shock

They were given this script; they had to finish these four in order to quit. But if they wanted to stop after this they were able to.

·            Please continue.

·            The experiment requires that you continue.

·            It is absolutely essential that you continue.

·            You have no other choice, you must go on.

When Milgram posed this question to a group of Yale University students, it was predicted that no more than 3 out of 100 participants would deliver the maximum shock. In reality, 65% of the participants in Milgram’s study delivered the maximum shocks.

People assume that they will chose to do the right thing, connecting to the Book of Negroes people make the wrong actions because they are convinced by others that the thing they are doing is ok. It is relates to group mentality or peer pressure.