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Zimbardo’s prison experiment was made to see the the psychological effects of prison life on both the guards and the prisoners. So, they recruited volunteers and they set up a mock prison to monitor their behavior and how they react to being in a institution. Initially, the experiment was supposed to be a two weeks long but, it was cut down to only six days.The study was ended sooner than expected because of the various effects that it had on the subjects. With no view of the outside world the subjects really committed to their roles. So much so that the line between experiment and reality was very blurred. The men were having various breakdowns and had psychological trauma. The subjects were also behaving in ways that were completely different
The Implications of the Stanford Prison Experiment In 1971 Dr Philip Zimbardo conducted an experiment in the basement of Stanford University. This involved imprisoning nine volunteers in a mock up of Stanford prison, which was policed by nine guards (more volunteers). These guards had complete control over the prisoners. They could do anything to the prisoners, but use physical violence.
“Our young research participants were not the proverbial “Bad Apples” in an otherwise good barrel. Rather, out experimental design ensured that they were initially good apples and were corrupted by the insidious power of the bad barrel, this prison (229).” Philip Zimbardo, author of The Lucifer Effect, created an experiment of twenty-four college age men. He randomly assigned these ordinary, educated, young men with a role as either Guard or Prisoner. He questions whether or not good people will do bad things if they are given the opportunity. After the experiment is complete, he begins to compare the situations that occurred in the Stanford Prison Experiment with real life situations in Abu Giraib and Guantanamo Bay Prison. He points out many similarities that parallel the Stanford Prison Experiment. In every situation depicted, there is a good person in a seemingly “bad barrel” – or a bad situation that brings bad actions out of a good person.
There are five main ethical guidelines used by the IRB when determining if an experiment is ethically correct; respect for persons, fidelity and responsibility, justice, beneficence/nonmaleficence, and integrity (Hackathorn 2014).
In this study Zimbardo chose 21 participants from a pool of 75, all male college students, screened prior for mental illness, and paid $15 per day. He then gave roles. One being a prisoner and the other being a prison guard, there were 3 guards per 8 hour shift, and 9 total prisoners. Shortly after the prisoners were arrested from their homes they were taken to the local police station, booked, processed, given proper prison attire and issued numbers for identification. Before the study, Zimbardo concocted a prison setting in the basement of a Stanford building. It was as authentic as possible to the barred doors and plain white walls. The guards were also given proper guard attire minus guns. Shortly after starting the experiment the guards and prisoners starting naturally assuming their roles, Zimbardo had intended on the experiment lasting a fortnight. Within 36 hours one prisoner had to be released due to erratic behavior. This may have stemmed from the sadistic nature the guards had adopted rather quickly, dehumanizing the prisoners through verbal, physical, and mental abuse. The prisoners also assumed their own roles rather efficiently as well. They started to rat on the other prisoners, told stories to each other about the guards, and placated the orders from the guards. After deindividuaiton occurred from the prisoners it was not long the experiment completely broke down ethically. Zimbardo, who watched through cameras in an observation type room (warden), had to put an end to the experiment long before then he intended
Phillip Zimbardo conducted the Stanford experiment where 24 physiologically and physically healthy males were randomly selected where half would be prisoners and the other half prisoner guards. To make the experiments as real as possible, they had the prisoner participants arrested at their homes. The experiment took place in the basement of the Stanford University into a temporary made prison.
The Stanford Prison Experiment commenced in 1973 in pursuit of Zimbardo needed to study how if a person are given a certain role, will they change their whole personality in order to fit into that specific role that they were given to. Zambrano significantly believed that personality change was due to either dispositional, things that affect personal life and make them act differently. Or situational, when surrounded by prisoners, they can have the authority to do whatever they want without having to worry about the consequences. Furthermore, it created a group of twenty-four male participants, provided them their own social role. Twelve of them being a prisoners and the other twelve prison guards, all of which were in an examination to see if they will be able to handle the stress that can be caused based upon the experiment, as well as being analysis if their personality change due to the environment or their personal problems.
In the Stanford Prison Experiment, a study done with the participation of a group of college students with similar backgrounds and good health standing who were subjected to a simulated prison environment. The participants were exposed completely to the harsh environment of a real prison in a controlled environment with specific roles of authority and subordinates assigned to each individual. The study was formulated based on reports from Russian novelist Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky had spent four years in a Siberian prison and his view on how a man is able to withstand anything after experiencing the horrors of prison prompted Dr. Philip Zimbardo a Professor of Psychology at Stanford and his
The Stanford Prison Experiment was conducted in 1971 by Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University. The purpose of the experiment was a landmark study of the human response to captivity, in particular, to the real world circumstances of prison life. In social psychology, this idea is known as “mundane realism”. Mundane realism refers to the ability to mirror the real world as much as possible, which is just what this study did. Twenty-four subjects were randomly assigned to play the role of "prisoner" or "guard" and they were made to conform to these roles.
The Stanford Prison Experiment was conducted in 1971 by Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University. The experiment was a landmark study of the human response to captivity, in particular, to the real world circumstances of prison life. In social psychology, this idea is known as “mundane realism”. Mundane realism refers to the ability to mirror the real world as much as possible, which is just what this study did. Twenty-four subjects were randomly assigned to play the role of "prisoner" or "guard" and they were made to conform to these roles.
Would you go into prison to get paid? Do you believe that you will come out the same or become different? Do not answer that. The Stanford Prison Experiment was an experiment that was conduct in 1971 by a team of researchers led by psychology professor Philip Zimbardo. Seventy applicants answered the ad and were narrowed down to 24 college students, which half were assigned either to be guards or prisoners by random selection. Those 24 college students were picked out from the of 70 applicants by taking personality tests and given diagnostic interviews to remove any candidates with psychological problems, medical disabilities, or a history of crime or drug abuse. The experiment lasted six days but it was supposed to last two weeks, it was so traumatizing that it was cut short. Zimbardo was the lead researcher and also had a role in pretend prison. Zimbardo’s experiment was based on looking
The first day of the experiment went well with no negative incidents however, when the second day arose prisoners refused to listen to the guards and isolated themselves within their given cells. As the guards were taken back by the behavior of the prisoners they started to psychologically abuse them and also started to separate the prisoners from one another. When the behavior of the prisoners started to change in a negative manner, the guards also started to publicly embarrass the prisoners by sentencing them to solitary confinement and also torturing these individuals (Mental Floss,
In 2003, numbers of United States soldiers abused and humiliated Iraqi individuals held at Abu Ghraib prison. Such incident parallels to Phillip Zimbado’s Stanford Prison Experiment in the 70’s where “guards” abused the “prisoners”.
The Stanford Prison Experiment was a mock prison set up by Phillip Zimbardo to study the effects prisons can have on an individuals behaviour. Throughout this experiment it was revealed that many of the guards developed truly sadistic tendencies and performed many cruel acts towards the prisoners. Oftentimes the guards would use physical punishments in the form of exercise, as well as verbal harassment, and
The mock prisoners were treated like real prisoners to make the experiment as real as it could possibly be. They were stripped naked, deloused and given numbers rather than being called by their names, which caused them to lose their sense of identity and become anonymous. All of the guards dressed in identical khaki uniforms and wore glasses so the prisoners couldn’t see their eyes; another psychological trick enforced by Zimbardo. Prisoners began to be insulted by the guards and were forced to carry out pointless tasks, they were also awoken in the middle of the night to do “counts.” They barely had any time to eat, and they weren’t allowed to talk during meal time as a “punishment” for previous rebellions. Add up the lack of sleep, the malnourishment and the stress of being in a sterile environment and you are going to have a mess. After the prisoners took so much, they decided to rebel. The first prisoner that began to act up was prisoner #8612 who had fits of uncontrollable fits of rage. Other prisoners tried to calm him down, assuring him that it was just an experiment but he demanded that he wanted out. It was at this point that psychologists knew what they had to do, let him go. From this point on, the experiment continued to go downhill. The guards became stricter, giving out more pointless punishments and dehumanizing the prisoners. At this point in time, the prisoners didn’t only begin to form more rebellions, but began to show more signs of unstableness. Zimbardo believed the experiment would last two weeks, but after only six days it had to be shut down. Ultimately, the Stanford Prison Experiment shows us that under roles of conformity, decent people can quickly turn into oppressors. The results of the experiment show us that cruel ruling does not flourish because the leaders are ignorant of their actions, it flourishes because they identify
The Stanford Prison Experiment took place in 1971. Young male students were divided into the roles of Prisoner and Guard and put in a prison-like environment beneath the Psychology Department at Stanford University (lab conditions). The study was meant to last a fortnight. But the ruthless conduct of the prison Guards and the suffering of the Prisoners was so to much that it had to be terminated after six