There is a famous experiment that I think every university level
student of social psychology has to study . . . I did . . . way way
back . . . oh nevermind . . . . anyway, it involves people who were
first given a questionaire in which they described their ethical
boundaries i.e. "I would never intentionally inflict pain on another
human being", etc, etc, that sort of thing. Later these same people
were put into a situation where they were at the controls of a
electric shock mechanism which hooked up to a person (but not really)
who they could watch through a one-way glass. They had a very
authoritative looking person, dressed in a white coat, standing over
them and giving them instructions to shock the victim/patient (who was
a good actor) and the authority would give more and more insistent
instructions to push the button and also turn up the dial to increase
the (fake) voltage. Sounds diabolical, but it was a pretty interesting
result, as I recall.  Can you find for me the information on who did
this experiment, when, where, what the conclusions were? Have any
similar 'experiments' been done since then?

Hi,

You're thinking of the famous Milgram experiment first conducted at
Yale University in 1961-62.
http://www.new-life.net/milgram.htm

Also see StanleyMilgram.com:
http://www.stanleymilgram.com/milgram.html

More results from Google:
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&q=%22milgram+experiment%22+electric&btnG=Search

-----
search strategy:
"electric shocks" experiment authority
"milgram experiment" electric

I hope this helps.

---

Clarification of Answer by juggler-ga on 31 Oct 2004 00:30 PDT

And, yes, similar experiments have been conducted in the four decades
since the original...

"Milgram's experiment has been repeated in Australia, South Africa and
in several European countries. In one study, over 85% of the subjects
administered a lethal electric shock to the learner!"
http://designweb.otago.ac.nz/grant/psyc/OBEDIANCE.HTML

"In 2002, UK conceptual artist Rod Dickinson re-created the Milgram
Experiment, and the filmed result The Milgram Re-enactment powerfully
simulates the drama of the experiment and the troubling and disturbing
questions it raises about the nature of humanity."
http://www.acmi.net.au/42A59A55FDF1458A8552FDEAE59760A7.htm
http://www.milgramreenactment.org/

that's the one . . . you're ON tonight! . . . . hope you're in Hawaii
and not burning the midnight oil . . .

Thank you for the tip.  I'm in California, but I'd like to be in Hawaii. :-)

Hi,

I remember seeing this shocking experiment in a 1979 French movie
called "I... comme Icare" aka "I as In Icarus" starring Yves Montand.

xituculumucumba

I just want to add that the Milgram experiment is (so far I know) an
experiment which was made to demonstrate what people can do under the
pressure of authoritative relations, specifically, in the Nazi regime
during World War II. This experiment showed that germans who were
being judged in Nuremberg hadn't mental diseases but were subdued by a
very strong power chain.

The milgram Experiment is, in this case, the replica of that terrible situation.