LESSONS FROM THE MILGROM EXPERIMENT

lessons from the milgrom experiment

In 1961, eight years before I matriculated at Yale, a young professor of our university conducted an experiment that would determine and measure obedience.  The aim was to see how far ordinary people would go to comply with directives to inflict pain on other human beings. 

Members of the public were recruited and the experiments began.  Paired participants were introduced to each other, with one asked to play the role of the “teacher” and the other the role of the “learner.”  The learner (actually an actor hired by Professor Milgrom) was strapped into a chair which was wired to an electric generator.  The person playing the role of teacher was told that the experiment would test the effect of punishment on learning.  The teacher was to ask a series of questions.  Each time the learner gave the wrong answer, he/she would be punished with a jolt of electricity.  Starting with 15 volts, the teacher was told to increase the voltage for every mistake.

To Professor Milgrom’s astonishment, over 60% of participants pushed the voltage past the warning level which read “Danger of Severe Shock.”  All the while, they heard the learner moaning, then screaming in pain.  Psychologists were quite surprised by the results.  They thought that only a small group of the population, i.e. people with psychopathic tendencies, would raise the electrical current to such a high level.  However, well over 60% of the people (drawn from the general population of New Haven) acted in ways that most of us would believe to be cruel.

What did the experiment prove?  The Milgrom Experiment showed how decisive context is for human behavior.  Bottom-line: People tend to do certain things because of where they are, not necessarily because of who they are.  In certain circumstances, people are quite capable of acting in ways that are radically different from how they behave ordinarily.

There are several spiritual lessons to be gleaned from the Milgrom Experiment.  Firstly, our fallen human nature is inherently defective and deficient.  That is why we need to be “born again.” (John 3:3)  Secondly, it is important for all of us to remain connected to situations and people that foster a sense of ethical balance, both in and around us. (John 15:1-5)  Fact is, negative environments and negative words predictably produce negative results.  Thirdly, we must pay very close attention to the short- and long-term impact of the admonitions and advice of other people. (Luke 8:18)

Question:  What, then, should we do in the presence of ‘alien’ emotional and spiritual inputs?  Answer:  Think.  Pray.  BE STILL.  Meditate on the Word.  Then choose carefully.  In doing so, our choices and decisions will be healthy, helpful and hopeful, both for ourselves and others.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!