Zimbardo - Stanford prision experiment

• What were the aims of the Stanford Prison experiment?


  To see how readily people would to conform to new roles (prisoner and guards).
• What was the Procedure of the Stanford Prison Experiment?


  All volunteers were pre-scanned. Healthy, emotionally stable male volunteers were paid to take part in a two week study of prison life. PPS were randomly allocated prison guard. Prisoners were arrested at home and taken to a basement at Stanford. Guards has complete power over prisoners.
• What were the findings of the Stanford Prison experiment?


  Both guards and prisoners conformed to their roles so powerfully that the experiment had to be stopped after 6 days.

  Guards were brutally harassing and humiliating prisoners. They used imaginative ways to enforce their social roles and deepen the divide.

  Some prisoners had to be released due to deteriation.
• What were the conclusions of the Stanford prison experiment?


  Healthy adults will readily conform to the roles given to them.

  The simulations revealed the power of the situation to influence people behaviour.
• What were the ethical issues of the Stanford Prison Experiment?


  All ethics but one (debrief) was broken
• Explain the mundane realism in the Stanford Prison Experiment?


  Psychologists argued PPS were acting rather than genuinally conforming. Zimbardo is citicised for lacking mundance realism of an actual person
• Explain Abu Ghraib and its links to the Stanford Prison experiment?


  In 2003/4 american military police committed acts of violence, humiliation and brutality against Iraqui prisioners. This had extreme parallels to the Stanford Prision Experiment. Supporting the idea that Zimbardos results are valid and conformity is a true human preferanace.
• Explain Orlandos study and the links to the Stanford Prison experiment?


  Orlando carried out his experiment in a mock psychiatric ward. He selected real psychiatric staff to act as patients for one week. Staff conformed to roles so powerfully the experiemnt had to end early. However, this was an artificial enviroment, so supported Zimbardo's findings.
• Explain the internal validity of the Stanford Prison experiment?


  Zimbardo had good control over variables which strenghtens the internal validity. The pre-screening he carried out allowed him to prove it was the situation, not the PPS personality.