The Stanford prison experiment was a psychological study conducted in 1971 by Philip Zimbardo and his colleagues at Stanford University. The experiment was designed to investigate the psychological effects of power and authority on individuals. To do this, Zimbardo and his team recruited a group of male college students and divided them into two groups: guards and prisoners. The guards were given uniforms and told to maintain order and control over the prisoners, who were kept in a simulated prison environment.
One of the main questions that the Stanford prison experiment sought to answer was whether individuals would conform to roles assigned to them by authority figures, even if those roles were at odds with their personal values. The experiment found that the guards quickly became authoritarian and abusive, while the prisoners became passive and submissive. This led Zimbardo to conclude that people will often conform to roles and behaviors that are expected of them, even if those behaviors are unethical or harmful.
Another question that the experiment sought to answer was how individuals would respond to the power dynamics of the prison environment. The experiment found that the guards became more abusive and sadistic as they exercised more power over the prisoners, while the prisoners became more passive and submissive as they lost control over their own lives. This suggests that power dynamics can significantly influence how individuals behave and interact with one another.
A third question that the experiment sought to answer was whether individuals could resist the influence of power and authority. Some of the prisoners were able to resist the influence of the guards and assert their own autonomy, while others became completely submissive and obedient. This suggests that some individuals are more resistant to the influence of power and authority than others.
Overall, the Stanford prison experiment highlights the powerful influence that power and authority can have on individuals and the ways in which people will often conform to roles and behaviors that are expected of them. It also illustrates the importance of questioning and challenging authority, as well as the need for individuals to be mindful of the potential negative effects of power dynamics on their own behavior and relationships with others.
This was designed to make the prisoners feel emasculated and humiliated, while the chain was used to create a feeling of oppressiveness. Flickr Creative Commons Images Some images used in this set are licensed under the Creative Commons through Flickr. How did guards use 'special privileges' to retaliate against the prisoners? What bigger questions do you think the government was truly trying to have answered - How could this experiment inform government reforms in the future? What was the reaction of family members who came to visit the 'prison'? Would you have terminated it earlier? Click to see the original works with their full license. Isn't it an obvious violation of the constitutional right? Is there a core to your self-identity independent of how others define you? Would it be better if these studies had never been done? What were the three types of guards which emerged during the experiment? I mean: weren't the participants informed that what they're currently experiencing is just the experiment they volunteered for? Why did the experimenters hold an encounter session after the experiment was over? What day was he released? How were people gathered to participate in the study? Chapters Three and Four 10. Would you have conducted a follow-up study? If prisons are seen as forms of control which limit individual freedom, how do they differ from the prisons we create through racism, sexism, ageism, poverty, and other social institutions? On the other hand, what about the ones playing the roles of the guards? Please read the story of what happened and what it tells us about the nature of human nature. Our planned two-week investigation into the psychology of prison life had to be ended after only six days because of what the situation was doing to the college students who participated. If so, however, how could they have been held captive against they will, with a blessing of the local police? The stocking cap was used to give a look of a shaved head, this would decrease their individuality, as that is expressed through hair style and length.
When Zimbardo heard this, he went back to the room, and found 819 crying. How were prisoners treated upon arrival at the prison and why? What punishments did they use? I wasn't sure whether to post this to this sub or AskScience, but I figured it was more a history question than a psychology one. It is important to remember that at the beginning of our experiment there were no differences between boys assigned to be a prisoner and boys assigned to be a guard. Why was Prisoner 8162 released? Zimbardo offered to let him out of the experiment. Do you believe in the mob mentality that the experiment was examining? What was the 'uniform' for a guard? Final Written Product Directions: This should not be a short answer, but a well developed and detailed paragraph that answers all the questions in a well-rounded way.
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Zimbardo reminded him of his name, not his number, the experiment, not the prison, and Zimbardo as a psychologist, not a superintendent. How did the researchers create the prison? These are some of the questions we posed in this dramatic simulation of prison life conducted in the summer of 1971 at Stanford University. What training did they receive and why? I decided to read on some more about the Stanford Prison Experiment and one thing stroke me as odd but I couldn't find the information on it. Am I missing something here? I understand that ethics were very different in the 70s, and that there is a long history of unethical human psychological testing, but don't these researchers ever have to answer for their actions? Who was the main psychologist who led the experiment? How was he even allowed to work in the field of psychology after this, let alone make a career out of it? This study is one in which an illusion of imprisonment was created, but when do illusions become real? The study had students fulfilling the role of prisoners and prison guards in a 'fake' prison they constructed in the psychology building at the school. Chapters Eight and Nine 15.
The experiment was designed to measure the effect of role-playing, labeling, and social expectations on behavior throughout the two-week study. Was it right to trade the suffering experienced by participants for the knowledge gained by the research? How difficult would it be to remake any given person into someone with a new identity? How did the prisoners assert their independence? A quick Google search didn't bring much up either, all I could really find was Zimbardo talking about how shocked he was about the outcome, as though he himself was also the victim of his own experiment--which is true to an extent, but sidesteps the larger issue of him being responsible for perpetrating extreme psychological torture on test subjects. What were some of the questions the study was designed to research? Does humanity win over evil, or does evil triumph? This is a complex experiment that had a very unintended outcome so your writing to should reflect the realities and revelations of the experiment. Explain the role of the prison guard. These boys were arbitrarily divided into two groups by a flip of the coin.
Or did they find out after it was cancelled and for the whole six days they thought they really were dealing with an actual prison? What did Gordon Bower ask Zimbardo which angers him, and what does Zimbardo then realize? In only a few days, our guards became sadistic and our prisoners became depressed and showed signs of extreme stress. Within the reality of imprisonment, Illusion is the only freedom, But is Freedom the only illusion? Office of Naval Research was conducted at Stanford University. . In what areas of government could these reforms be used? What was the 'uniform' for a prisoner? The participants of the Stanford Experiment volunteered for it so why bother with the fake arresting at home of each participant and the help of the local police? Have you ever seen either in person or in the news the mob mentality at work? Stanford Prison Experiment In 1971, a social psychology experiment funded by the U. How did the prison guards assert their authority? Make sure you answer all of the questions below to ensure you are properly covering the experiment. The experimenters did not take this issue lightly, although the Slide Show may sound somewhat matter-of-fact about the events and experiences that occurred. What would you have done differently than those subjects did? How was it designed to provide the same effect as a real prison? Chapters Five, Six, and Seven 13.
Half were randomly assigned to be guards, the other to be prisoners. The experiment and its findings were cataloged in the novel The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil by Philip Zimbardo, the chief researcher of the experiment. . . . . .