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Stanford Prison Experiment

Stanford Prison Experiment. Background. Landmark psychological study of the human response to captivity. Conducted in 1971 Led by Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University. Volunteers played the roles of the guards and prisoners.

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Stanford Prison Experiment

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  1. Stanford Prison Experiment

  2. Background • Landmark psychological study of the human response to captivity. • Conducted in 1971 • Led by Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University. • Volunteers played the roles of the guards and prisoners.

  3. Funded by the U.S Navy to explain conflicts in its and the Marine Corps’ prison systems

  4. Hypothesis • Prison guards and convicts were self –selecting that would naturally lead to poor conditions in that situation.

  5. Participants • Recruited via a newspaper ad • Offered $15 a day • Participate in a mock prison simulation for 2 weeks • 24 were chosen based on a series of tests that proved they were the most psychologically stable and healthy. • White, middle class, young males.

  6. Roles • Divided in half into equal groups of prisoners and guards. • Coin toss

  7. Prison • Mock jail • Basement of Stanford Psych. Dept • Research Assistant was the “Warden” • Zimbardo was the “Superintendent”

  8. Goals • Depersonalization • Deindividualization • Disorientation

  9. Guards • Wooden Batons, military style uniforms and mirrored sunglasses. • Work in shifts and return home during off hours. • Given no formal guidelines except that they were not allowed to touch the prisoners.

  10. Prisoners • ill fitting smocks (no underwear) • Sandals • Assigned #’s –no names • Nylon pantyhose caps • Small chain around ankles

  11. The Beginning • Participants were charged with armed robbery by real police officers. • Fingerprinting, mug shots, strip searched and deloused.

  12. Results • Prisoners suffered sadistic and humiliating treatment. • Developed severe emotional disturbances (crying and disorganized thinking). • Riots • Strenuous punishments were imposed. (i.e. push-ups) • Prison became unsanitary and bathroom rights became privileges.

  13. Results (cont) • Clean toilets with bare hands. • Sleep on concrete floor naked. • Denied food. • Guards became more and more sadistic.

  14. The End • After only 6 days the experiment was shut down!!

  15. Conclusions • Argued to demonstrate obedience of people and power of authority. • Situation caused the behavior not inherent personalities. • Compared to Miligram experiment.

  16. Criticisms • Unethical • Results cannot be reproduced or replicated • Zimbardo was not a neutral observer • Not like an actual prison • Sample size was too small • People who were drawn to the ad in the newspaper, may be predisposition for violent behavior.

  17. Questions • Was it right to trade suffering experienced by the participants for the knowledge gained by the research? Why or why not? • If you were an experimenter in charge, would you have done this study? How could you have made the study more ethical?

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