airs to the learner, after which he or she is to read the first word of a pair and four possible associations. The learner then indicates which of the four associations are to be paired with the first word, and the response alternatives consist of four numbered switches, each of which lights up a corresponding indicator light on top of the shock generator. The teacher is told to punish the learner for each error by pressing a lever on the shock generator, and the teacher is also told to announce over an intercom the outcome of each trial, the correct answer if an error has been made, and the amount of shock voltage to be applied. In truth, the generator is not real, but the teacher is convinced it is by being given a test shock corresponding to position three of the thirty possibilities (Miller, 1986, 59).
The experiment addressed a number of concerns that the subject might have and that might mitigate his or her act
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