Social Psychologist Stanley Milgram (1933–1984) Milgram is best known for his obedience studies, but his creative research skills went far beyond the topic of obedience. To study the power of social norms, for example, Milgram sent his students out into New York City to intrude into waiting lines or ask subway passengers to give up their seats. Milgram often capitalized on the “texture of everyday life” to “examine the way in which the social world impinges on individual action and experience” (Milgram, 1974a).

Photo by Eric Kroll, Courtesy of Alexandra Milgram