stanford prison experiment

Question 1

aim

Answer 1

Zimbardo
- test whether the brutality of prison guards was the result of sadistic personalities or whether it was created by the situation.

Question 2

procedure

Answer 2

● Recruited 24 ‘emotionally stable’ male students- responded to a newspaper advert - randomly assigned roles of guards and prisoners
● ‘Prisoners’ were arrested in their homes and delivered to the ‘prison’ - blindfolded, strip-searched and issued a uniform and number
● There were 16 rules to follow
● De-individuation (losing sense of personal identity):
- Prisoners’ names were never used, only their numbers
- Guards had their own uniform - wooden cub, handcuffs, keys and mirror shades
● ‘Guards’ were told they had complete power over the prisoners e.g. deciding when they could go to the toilet

Question 3

findings

Answer 3

● Within 2 days, the prisoners rebelled against their treatment - ripped their uniforms and shouted/swore at the guards
● Guards harassed the prisoners by conducting frequent headcounts
● Guards punished slight misbehaving from the prisoners e.g. cleaning toilets with bare hands
● 3 prisoners were released early due to signs of psychological disturbance e.g. anxiety, uncontrollable crying
Prisoners became increasingly submissive
● The study stopped after 6 days, instead of the planned 14

Question 4

conclusion

Answer 4

• Guards and prisoners all conformed to their social roles.
• The more the guards identified with their roles, the more brutal and aggressive their behaviour became.