From New Haven to Santa Clara: A historical perspective on the Milgram obedience experiments

Abstract

This article traces the history of obedience experiments that have used the Milgram paradigm. It begins with Stanley Milgram's graduate education, showing how some aspects of that experience laid the groundwork for the obedience experiments. It then identifies three factors that led Milgram to study obedience. The underlying principles or messages that Milgram thought could be extracted from his experiments are then presented, and the evidence in support of them is assessed. Jerry M. Burger'srecent replication of Milgram's work--its place in the history of obedience research and its contribution to furthering the understanding of destructive obedience--is then examined.