Stanford Prison Experiment AO1

Question 1

Explain the procedure of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment.

Answer 1

• 24 male students where randomly divided into two groups (prisoner or guard)
• the prisions were given unifors, ID numbers that they had to go by for the whole experiment as well as rights to supervised toilet trips and 3 meals a day
• the guards were given uniforms, sunglasses, clubs and whistles
• the experiment was set to last 2 week

Question 2

Explain the result of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment.

Answer 2

• the guards eventually grew tyrannical and abusive
• they made them carry out degrading tasks like making them clean toilets with their bare hands
• even though they weren’t being lost the prisoners still conformed to their role by asking for parole rather than just withdrawing from the study
• 5 participants were released early due to extreme actions of distress
• experiment ended after 6 days