Zimbardo and his team converted the basement of the psychology department at Stanford University into a fake prison.
21 male students were selected from a total of 75 participants for their mental stability and lack of antisocial tendencies.
These 21 participants were randomly divided into two groups: 10 ‘guards’ and 11 ‘prisoners’
Prisoners were arrested by real police and then subjected to real police booking procedures (e.g. fingerprinting and mug shots). They were put in cells in groups of 3 and were confined throughout the experiment.n
Guards worked in 8 hour shifts and were instructed to refer to the prisoners by their assigned numbers rather than their names. A realistic prison routine was established with meal times, etc.
The prisoners wore jackets with their number on, and a chain around one ankle. Guards wore khaki uniforms, mirrored sunglasses to prevent eye contact, and carried handcuffs and wooden batons.
The study was scheduled to run for 2 weeks, however only lasted 6 days
Result
The guards became increasingly sadistic.
The prisoners became increasingly submissive.
After 35 hours, one prisoner began to “act crazy, to scream, to curse, to go into a rage that seemed out of control” and had to be released. Three other prisoners had to be released for similar reasons throughout the duration of the experiment.
