Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment

• What was the aim of Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment conducted in 1973?

  To understand if prison brutality is due to sadistic personalities or situational factors.
• What was the procedure followed in Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment?

  • Mock prison set up in Stanford University basement.
  • Volunteer sample of emotionally stable students.
  • Random assignment to guard or prisoner roles.
  • Prisoners were arrested, strip-searched, and deloused.
  • Guards had shifts of 3 and were given uniforms and clubs.
• How were prisoners treated in Zimbardo's experiment?

  They were arrested, strip-searched, and deloused.
• What items were issued to the guards in Zimbardo's experiment?

  Wooden clubs, handcuffs, and mirror sunglasses.
• What were the findings regarding guard behavior in the Stanford Prison Experiment?

  • Guards exhibited tyrannical and abusive behavior.
  • They enjoyed the power they held over prisoners.
  • Prisoners were forced to clean toilets bare-handed.
• How quickly did prisoners respond with rebellion in the experiment?

  Within 2 days.
• What was the emotional state of prisoners after the rebellion?

  They became subdued, anxious, and depressed.
• Why was the Stanford Prison Experiment terminated?

  It was terminated after 6 days due to ethical concerns.
• What conclusion was drawn from Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment?

  • Participants conformed quickly to social roles.
  • Situational influences played a significant role in behavior.
• What ethical issues were raised in Zimbardo's research?

  1. Right to withdraw: Participants were persuaded to stay.
  2. Protection from harm: Psychological distress was evident.
  3. Five prisoners left early due to distress.
• What did Banuazizi and Movahedi argue regarding the participants' behavior?

  They argued that participants were play-acting and influenced by role expectations.
• What did the study by Reicher & Haslam (2006) reveal about the reliability of Zimbardo's findings?

  It showed that guards lost control to prisoners, indicating inconsistent findings.
• How do the findings of Zimbardo's experiment apply to modern events?

  • Similarities observed in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.
  • Situational factors contributed to the abuse of prisoners by US soldiers.
  • Insight into conformity to social roles in real-world scenarios.
• What was the year of Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment?

  1973