History of Ethics in Psychology

By paigejacobsen

  • Tuskeegee Syphilis Study

    This study was used to "document disease in Black's" and differentiate how African Americans were affected. Patient's were not told they had Syphilis, educated on how to prevent Syphilis, or allowed Penicillin for treatment, causing the disease to spread to spouse and offspring and ultimately taking many lives.

  • Nazi Concentration Camp Experiments

    Experiments such as sleep deprivation, starvation, physical and psychological torture, and unneeded surgeries using no anesthesia were inhumanly and unconsensually performed on homosexual's, Jew's, African American's, and others.

  • The Nuremburg Code

    The Nuremburg Code developed in the wake of Nazi atrocities, stating voluntary consent was essential to experiments, an experiment must yield beneficial results to society far in excess of any anticipated risk, and avoidance and protection from physical and mental pain or suffering. The conductor must be scientifically qualified, and the subject of the experiment may stop the experiment at any given time.

  • Zimbardo Prison Experiment

    At Stanford University, 24 male students were selected to participate in a mock prison experiment. Students would be selected as either "prisoner" or "guard" and were to play the role for the next 6 days. The study found even the most reasonable people to become extremely unreasonable or even "sadistic" when given the power of authority.