unit 2 Zimbardo and the stanford prison experiment bbc

Question 1

what was the stanford prison experiment done for

Answer 1

Zumbardo and his colleagues were interested in finding out whether the brutality reported among guards in American prisons was due to the sadistic personalities of the guards (i.e., dispositional) or had more to do with the prison environment (i.e., situational).

Question 2

what was the method to the experiment

Answer 2

Zimbardo converted the basement at the University into a mock prison.
and the 24 volunteers were randomly assigned to be either a prisoner or a guard.
• Once in the prison the “prisoners” were stripped naked, deloused, had all their personal possessions removed and locked away, and were given prison clothes and bedding.
• They were issued a uniform, and referred to by their number only.
• All guards were dressed in identical uniforms of khaki, and they carried a whistle around their neck and a billy club borrowed from the police. Guards also wore special sunglasses, to make eye contact with prisoners impossible.
• Guards were instructed to do whatever they thought was necessary to maintain law and order in the prison and to command the respect of the prisoners. No physical violence was permitted.

Question 3

what happened in the experiment

Answer 3

Within hours of beginning the experiment some guards began to harass prisoners with insults and petty orders and were generally dehumanized.
• When the prisoners tried to revolt they were punished with solitary confinement and loss of “privileges” (food, clothes, beds, toiletries)
• As the “prisoners” became more submissive the “guards” became more aggressive

Question 4

why was the first experiment terminated

Answer 4

• The experiment was terminated early due to the emotional breakdowns of prisoners and excessive aggression of the guards.
After the experiment several of the “prisoners” required treatment due to emotional destress

Question 5

what did Zimbardo learn from this

Answer 5

it revealed how people will readily conform to the social roles they are expected to play, especially if the roles are as strongly stereotyped as those of the prison guards. Because the guards were placed in a position of authority, they began to act in ways they would not usually behave