Using topics from two different blocks, discuss how using a range
of research methods has helped to develop our understanding of
these topics.
Research methods differ in their goals, sample size, and the ability to generalize results.
Observations and surveys allow researchers to collect and record data and demonstrate
that there is a relationship between the variables. On the other hand, only experiments
allow researchers to draw conclusions and explain the causes of behavior. The aim of
this essay is to expose how these methods helped to develop our understanding of
social pressure, infant attachment and moral foundations.
Experiment demonstrated that natural tendency to obey authority can reduce the
chances of blindly following others who act against our conscience and beliefs. The
problem with obedience is not that people are unable to resist a malicious leader, but it
is difficult to recognize that a seemingly rational and well-intentioned authority can in
fact even fight for evil purposes. In Milgram’s (1974) famous experiment, ordinary
people had to give an increasing intensity of electric shock to a stranger so researchers
could test the effect of punishment on learning. However, the aim of the experiment was
not to explore the relationship between punishment and learning. The real question was
how long average people are willing to go when an authoritarian person asks them to
perform extremely negative actions. The experiment had a staggering result: in the
baseline situation, where the “teacher” and the “student” were in two separate rooms
and could only communicate with each other on the radio, 65 percent of those in the
study gave the student a fatal electric shock. The experiment was performed in a variety
of variations, and the results were modified accordingly. Milgram concluded that people,
when they carry out a command from a higher power, pass on its moral weight to the
issuer of the command. While Milgram’s study raised serious ethical questions about
the use of human subjects in psychological experiments, his results have been
of research methods has helped to develop our understanding of
these topics.
Research methods differ in their goals, sample size, and the ability to generalize results.
Observations and surveys allow researchers to collect and record data and demonstrate
that there is a relationship between the variables. On the other hand, only experiments
allow researchers to draw conclusions and explain the causes of behavior. The aim of
this essay is to expose how these methods helped to develop our understanding of
social pressure, infant attachment and moral foundations.
Experiment demonstrated that natural tendency to obey authority can reduce the
chances of blindly following others who act against our conscience and beliefs. The
problem with obedience is not that people are unable to resist a malicious leader, but it
is difficult to recognize that a seemingly rational and well-intentioned authority can in
fact even fight for evil purposes. In Milgram’s (1974) famous experiment, ordinary
people had to give an increasing intensity of electric shock to a stranger so researchers
could test the effect of punishment on learning. However, the aim of the experiment was
not to explore the relationship between punishment and learning. The real question was
how long average people are willing to go when an authoritarian person asks them to
perform extremely negative actions. The experiment had a staggering result: in the
baseline situation, where the “teacher” and the “student” were in two separate rooms
and could only communicate with each other on the radio, 65 percent of those in the
study gave the student a fatal electric shock. The experiment was performed in a variety
of variations, and the results were modified accordingly. Milgram concluded that people,
when they carry out a command from a higher power, pass on its moral weight to the
issuer of the command. While Milgram’s study raised serious ethical questions about
the use of human subjects in psychological experiments, his results have been
