Zimbardo Prison Experiment

• What did Zimbardo want to investigate?

  Whether people would conform to their roles in certain social situations, through the power dynamic of a guard and inmate
• What was the aim of the investigation?

  determine if acquisition of power made the guards brutal or if brutality was intrinsic to human nature
• How were pps chosen?

  • Pps were volunteers who had responded to an advert asking for male college students that would be paid $15 per day (for 2 weeks)
  • They had 70 volunteers who then had to be interviewed and they had to fill out personality tests
  • Any with criminal records/abusing drugs, displayed personality disorders, had physical disabilities or psychological problems was cut - wanted to research SITUATIONAL FACTORS not dispositional factors
• How were the pps split?

  • 24 white male students - 12 in each group but 9 active pps and 3 alts
  • pps were assigned roles randomly using coin toss to avoid SELECTION BIAS
  • The prisoners were actually arrested, put in custody and had mugshots taken. They were blindfolded and taken in holding cell before being moved to basement of uni and kept in 3-person cells (did not consent to this)
• How were the guards and prisoners consolidated into their roles?

  • Guards given uniforms with whistles and nightsticks
  • Also given mirrored sunglasses to prevent eye contact
  • Prisoners were stripped, deloused, and dressed in sandals and numbered ill-fitting smocks
  • Also given stocking hats so heads would not have to be shaved
  • Once dressed, they had a chain on each leg, and were only addressed by their number
  • All of this was dehumanising and created a barrier between seeing these pps as people
• How were the guards expected to maintain order?

  • Any means except for physical violence
  • Harassment, withholding food, deprivation of privileges were all allowed
  • The guards were allowed to leave and worked in shifts
• What happened Day One?

  • headcount at 2:30am and were woken by the whistles but some prisoners didn't take it seriously = press-ups as punishment
• What occurred Day Two?

  • Prisoners removed their numbers and stocking caps
  • They then barricaded the doors with their beds
  • The guards had to call for backup and used fire extinguishers to push the prisoners away from holding the beds in place and then rushed the cell
  • They stripped prisoner(s) naked and sent to solitary whilst the guards took bed
• What method did the guards find to keep control?

  • One cell = privilege cell (well-behaved prisoners who got their uniforms and beds back and got special meals)
  • Others cell (denied of the 'privileges' and were deprived of normal food rations)
  • After a few hours the guards would move them around, causing distrust and confusion
• What happened 36 hours in?

  • Doug Korpi suffered from acute emotional disturbance (disorganised thinking and uncontrollable crying/rage)
  • Guards tried to use this to turn him into a snitch but the staff realised he was in genuine distress and released him from experiment
• What happened on Day Six?

  • Mock parole board for inmates to present their case to the board
  • Researchers theorised that the 'prisoners' saw themselves as real inmates - internalised the crimes and their roles
• What did they find about the guards?

  Fit into 3 types:

  • Tough but fair guards who followed prison rules
  • Good guys who did little favours for the prisoners and never punished them
  • Guards who enjoyed their power and were hostile, arbitrary, and inventive in humiliation methods
• What was found in relation to the aim of the experiment?

  Most people are ultimately willing to fulfil whatever role given in respective social setting.
• What happened when a real priest was brought in?

  • Prisoner 819 broke down sobbing so he was taken to the doctor and the inmates turned on 819
  • 819 was offered to be sent home because the other inmates called him a bad prisoner
  • Zimbardo had to intervene and remind 819 of reality - 819 was sent home
• What happened when the social psychologist arrived?

  • Christina Maslack interviewed the prisoners
  • Pointed out the dehumanisation and dangerous deep internalisation of the roles
  • Study was prematurely ended
• What did Zimbardo say about the study?

  • Allegedly Zimbardo realised that he has internalised the role of prison superintendent and that was why he did not realise the issues
  • "Role dominated the person"
• What were the strengths of Zimbardo's experiment?

  • Conducted in a lab = high control over the EV
  • Pps were randomly assigned roles = increased internal validity
• What were the weaknesses of Zimbardo's experiment?

  • Banuazizi and Movahedi (1975) argued pps were play-acting based on the stereotypes of how to behave
  • Zimbardo argued that the study was true to life
  • Fromm (1973) said Zimbardo was exaggerating the power of situation to influence behaviour
  • Fromm focused on more dispositional factors with 1/3 of guards being brutal so Zimbardo may have over-stated
  • Reicher and Haslam (2006) replicated the study and prisoners eventually took control
  • Ethics - Confidentiality, Deception, Consent
  • Zimbardo became active pps