Stanford prison experiment

What was the aim of the Stafford prison experiment

They wanted to know know if external things controlled you or if internal things such as morality controlled you

How were people gathered for the stanford prison experiment

They volunteered and were paid 15 pounds a day

What did zimbardo do to make sire that no other mental factors affected the experiment

All participants were psychologically screened

What was the sample for the Stanford prison experiment?

The sample consisted of 21 white male University students who volunteered due to the add in the news paper advert -all were screened to make sure they were physically and psychologically secure

How was the role of prisoners and guard decided?

The participants were randomly assigned

Where was the experiment conducted

The basement of stanford University- they turned it into a prison

How was the role of prisoners made realistic for the participants?

They were arrested by real local police and fingerprinted, stripped and given a number rather than a name

How was the role of guard made realistic to the participants

The guards were given a uniform and reflective glasses to wwar

How long was the experiment originally meant to last?

2 weeks

How many days did the experiment acctually last?

6 days

Why did the experiment end early?

Because prisoners were experiencing severe distress and anxiety.

Zimbardo layer declared the experiment as inhumane

Did prisoners and guards identify with their role

Yes, they quickly identified with their roles

How did prisoners behave?

They rebelled within days but this was quickly shut down by the guards.

They became increasingly submissive and identified with their subordinate role

How many prisoners were released early, and why was this the case?

5, they were experiencing severe distress from the physical and mental torment-crying and extreme anxiety

How did the guards behave?

They became increasingly abusive and dehumanised the prisoners making them clean toilets with their bare hands

What was the conclusion of the stanford prison experiment?

People conform to social roles even when it goes against their morals. Additionally situational factors were largely responsible for behaviours found

What is a negative evaluation of the Stanford prison experiment involving individual differences?

People have individual differences in personality

For example some guards were extremely sadistic and others helped the prisoners

This suggests zimbardos conclusion was overstated

What was found in the replication of the Stanford prison experiment?

Guards did not identify with their roles and refused to exercise their authority and prisoners challenged thr guards authority

These clearly contradict zimbardos findings suggesting that conformity to social roles may not be automatic

Why has the stanford prison experiment been heavily criticised?

Because it broke several ethical guidelines specifically the participants protection from physical harm

The guards felt guilt and anxiety for their actions

What’s a positive evaluation of the stanford prison experiment?

It provides some real world application to the US prison system.