Coverage of Milgram’s Obedience Experiments in Social Psychology Textbooks

Abstract

Past studies of the treatment of Milgram’s obedience experiments in social psychology textbooks from the 1960s to the 1990s discovered an evolving “Milgram-friendly” coverage style (dealing with criticisms of his experiments either summarily, in a pro-Milgram manner, or not at all). We examined 10 current social textbooks to determine the present state of this Milgram-friendly coverage. Our findings indicate that such coverage has become the norm. Methodological and ethical criticisms of the obedience experiments and challenges to their external validity are seldom cited, and if they are, they are only briefly described and usually dealt with in a Milgram-friendly manner. We discuss two factors likely responsible for this insufficient treatment of these criticisms in social psychology textbooks and urge remediation.