Under Observation
“Some experiments became infamous because of what researchers did. Others became infamous because of what average people did when given the opportunity.”
Under Observation explores psychological experiments, controversial studies, and behavioral research that exposed unexpected vulnerabilities in human nature. Some crossed ethical lines; Others simply produced findings we'd rather not recognize in ourselves, about authority, conformity, memory, perception, identity, and just how easily ordinary behavior can be influenced by the situation around us.
The Monster Study: Authority, Identity & The Stories We Inherit About Ourselves
In 1939, University of Iowa graduate student Mary Tudor arrived at the Iowa Soldiers' Orphans' Home with an experiment. Twenty-two children were divided into groups. Some already stuttered. Others spoke normally. Six of those normally speaking children were told something that wasn't true: experts had determined they were developing a speech problem. In this episode of Pretty Evil, we revisit the infamous “Monster Study,” the controversial theory of psychologist Wendell Johnson, the young graduate student who carried it out, and the six children who wouldn't learn the truth about what had happened to them until decades later.
Play Story (33 mins)