Consider the significance-and the ethical failings-of several, impactful 20th-century psychological studies that continue to influence our knowledge of human behavior.
Shocking Psychological Studies and the Lessons They Teach
Brace yourself for some shocking psychological studies-not all of them ethical-that shape what we know of human behavior.
Rated 5 out of
5
by
cpr_norcal from
Super Interesting and Very Relevant
Dr. Polk does an excellent job of presenting these studies and experiments, some of which have been pivotal in evolving scientific approaches. He is an engaging speaker, and the lectures are clear and well-illustrated. Several of the case studies involve more or less well-meaning experimenters who produced ghastly results. Today, in the digital age, the questions of privacy are of great significance, as Dr. Polk discusses in Lecture 6. Our activities and opinions could certainly be used to categorize and potentially penalize us, even in non-authoritarian countries. The liberties that Big Tech has taken put has put many of us on the defensive.
Date published: 2024-08-08
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Jewels27 from
Very interesting! Great presentation!
This is by far the best series I've watched on Wondrium. Everything else I've wanted information on has been a disappointment. Dr. Thad Polk kept my attention. His lectures were about people and ethics and science and weren't too technical and dry. I especially loved that he sat to deliver this series. Those other lectures that have the presenters walking around and turning around into the camera every few seconds are SO annoying. I thought Dr. Polk was engaging and presented relevant and interesting information in an easy-to-understand and entertaining manner. I would have loved to have a professor like him in my college Psychology classes. I will be trying to find more material that Dr. Polk has recorded or written after this. I wish there were more than six lectures. I watched all six in a row and could have watched more.
Date published: 2023-02-19
Rated 5 out of
5
by
JIM73 from
This met my expectations.
Especially interesting overview for folks who are not in the profession. The content and duration were appropriate for the very reasonable cost.
I appreciated the professor's suggestions regarding how some of the weaknesses in research could be remedied. The professor's affect was objective and professional.
Date published: 2022-10-31
Rated 1 out of
5
by
bobs from
Nag Nag Nag
This is the 5th request for a review on this series. I understand that reviews are important. It is also important to me that I watch these courses when I can do so without interruption. Getting 5 reminders is going over the top. Have watched 2 so far and nothing is pulling me in to watch the others anytime soon. And I have to turn off my ad blocker to submit this review. Wont be buying any more courses, stop sending me catalogs.
Date published: 2022-08-08
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Guyc from
Really good!
Exactly what I was hoping for. Why only 6 sessions? I would love more chapters!
Date published: 2022-08-02
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Jan Jorgensen from
Excellent, informative, well presented. I have learned so much! Thank you!
Date published: 2022-06-08
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Several courses from
Good Coverage
Excellent coverage of critical experiments that have received acclaim and criticism over the years. Provides a good introduction to the experiments and serves as a basis for more in-depth study.
Date published: 2022-04-18
Rated 5 out of
5
by
RAWAN from
An Excellent course
What an Excellent and sad course DrThad,In this course you will hear a shocking truths that will make you wondering that some scientists are monsters wearing human clothes,they can do anything to reach their goals even if that mean torturing innocent people,you will see the evil,dark side of science.
Dr.Thad is a very good teacher he will explain to you difficult facts and informations in a simple,straightforward manner.
Date published: 2022-03-17
Overview
About
Thad A. Polk is the Samuel D. Epstein Collegiate Professor of Psychology and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor at the University of Michigan. He earned an interdisciplinary PhD in Computer Science and Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University and received postdoctoral training in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. His teaching has been recognized by numerous awards, and he was named to The Princeton Review’s list of the Best 300 Professors in the United States.
Trailer
01: Lessons from Tuskegee and Facebook
Today, research with human subjects is guided by a set of three ethical principles of the 1976 Belmont Report, but that was not always the case. In the first lecture of this six-lecture course, Professor Polk explores the famous Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment and how its ethical violations ultimately led to the development of the Belmont Report and the ethical principles it identified.
32 min
02: Pushing Good People to Do Bad Things
Why do good people sometimes do bad things? Professor Polk encourages us to grapple with two of the most famous psychological studies on ethics and human psychology: Milgram’s Obedience Study and the Stanford Prison Experiment. Each study offers invaluable lessons about human behavior. Look at the ways that these explorations into the causes of unethical human behavior were, themselves, astonishingly unethical.
31 min
03: Experimenting on Vulnerable Children
Arguably, the most vulnerable people in any population are the children. Childhood development studies can also provide invaluable insights into human psychology. Here, explore two studies where children were the focus: Neubauer’s twin study and Johnson’s “Monster Study” of testing the origins of stuttering. Discover why, according to the Belmont Report’s principles, these “subjects” might be identified more accurately as “victims.”
29 min
04: Testing Psychochemical Weapons
Government organizations such as the CIA and military are charged with protecting the public, but in these shocking experiments, vulnerable low-ranking soldiers and psychiatric patients were unwittingly subjected to psychoactive drugs. Uncover the ways in which these observational studies lacked both rigorous scientific design and adherence to any of the Belmont Report’s principles. In fact, the results of these studies often led to hallucinations, paranoia, rage, and even death.
29 min
05: Assigning Gender and Spying on Sex
Studies of sex and sexual identity present unique ethical challenges for privacy and consent. In the next two studies, Professor Polk takes you into the private world of sexual identity and impulse. The Tearoom Trade Study considers the public identities and private choices of anonymous public sex participants. The John/Joan case explores the sexual identity of a biologically male child raised as a female.
30 min
06: Current and Future Ethical Challenges
Science still grapples with the ethics of studying human subjects. Increasingly, data is available about every aspect of human life through our uninhibited interactions with technology. The study of such data sets is affordable, widely generalizable, and easily accessible. But is it ethical? You’ll also discover that the conclusions presented in scientific journals, even under our more rigorous ethical guidelines, may not be as reliable as we thought.
32 min
