4 ms·

There are some folks who are pretty dead set on maligning Milgram alongside Zimbardo. Namely, Gina Perry wrote a book criticizing Milgram and his experiment's

There are some folks who are pretty dead set on maligning Milgram alongside Zimbardo. Namely, Gina Perry wrote a book criticizing Milgram and his experiment's validity [1]. I haven't read it, but looking at some of the reviews, it seems most likely that it's a mixture of truth and the typical schlocky scientific journalism I've come to know and revile. [2] [1] https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Shock-Machine-psychology-experiments-ebook/dp/B007NOI2YC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Shock-Machine-psychology-exper... [2] Funny anecdote- when I was still in science (brain imaging) a reporter from a major news outlet interviewed another member of my lab about what brain activity would look like in a dead person's brain. The question was entirely serious.

hithereagain 8y ago
[2] Brain activity appears to continue after people are dead, according to new study. (9 march 2017) https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/what-happens-die-brain-activity-life-heart-beating-death-after-eeg-study-research-a7620131.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/what-happens-die-...
- neuromantik8086 8y ago
  The news article you cite is a bit over dramatic- the distinction between clinical and brain death has been around for a while. None of what is in there is really news, although it might be somewhat remarkable if they found activity 10 minutes out; then again, this is research from the medical community, which as others have pointed out is often quite methodologically flawed. You too are being slightly too generous towards scientific journalism- a typical non-scientific audience wouldn't make the distinction between clinical and brain death, and the reporter likely wasn't either.
zwischenzug 8y ago
Might [2] have been related to this? https://www.wired.com/2009/09/fmrisalmon/ https://www.wired.com/2009/09/fmrisalmon/
- neuromantik8086 8y ago
  You might be giving the reporter too much credit. It's very unlikely that she was familiar with that study before asking her question.

hithereagain 8y ago

[2] Brain activity appears to continue after people are dead, according to new study. (9 march 2017) https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/what-happens-die-brain-activity-life-heart-beating-death-after-eeg-study-research-a7620131.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/what-happens-die-...

neuromantik8086 8y ago
The news article you cite is a bit over dramatic- the distinction between clinical and brain death has been around for a while. None of what is in there is really news, although it might be somewhat remarkable if they found activity 10 minutes out; then again, this is research from the medical community, which as others have pointed out is often quite methodologically flawed. You too are being slightly too generous towards scientific journalism- a typical non-scientific audience wouldn't make the distinction between clinical and brain death, and the reporter likely wasn't either.

zwischenzug 8y ago

Might [2] have been related to this? https://www.wired.com/2009/09/fmrisalmon/ https://www.wired.com/2009/09/fmrisalmon/

neuromantik8086 8y ago
You might be giving the reporter too much credit. It's very unlikely that she was familiar with that study before asking her question.