Preview

The Stanford Experiment Philip Zimbardo

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
264 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Stanford Experiment Philip Zimbardo
The Stanford Experiment is a study of experimental psychology conducted by Philip Zimbardo in 1971 on the effects of the prison situation. It was created with students playing the roles of guards and prisoners. It was intended to study the behavior of ordinary people in such a context and effect was to show that this was the situation rather that the personality of the participants who was at the origin of behaviours sometimes opposite the values professed by participants before the start of the study.
Control of the experience was quickly lost. The prisoners have suffered - and accepted - treatment humiliating and sometimes sadistic on the part of the guards, and in the end many of them suffered from a severe emotional disturbance.Experience
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Stanford Prison Experiment Philip Zimbardo
    • 164 Words
    • 1 Page

    Stanford Prison Experiment Philip Zimbardo

    The Stanford Prison Experiment was an experiment that Philip Zimbardo evented. He wanted to study the human response of captivity, of the prison life. Zimbardo randomly assigned roles to the prisoners and the guards. Each role was uniquely identified. For example, he gave the guards sticks and sunglasses and the prisoners were arrested by the police department and were forced into the basement of the jail which was converted into the psychology department that was converted into a makeshift jail. Zimbardo wanted the experiment to be as realistic as he possibly could have made it, therefore, he assigned each role to help do so. Testing each individual and then assigning them to roles would of gave inconclusive readings and therefore, it was…

    • 164 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    How Did Zimbardo Evaluate The Psychological Effects Of The Stanford Prison Experiment
    • 140 Words
    • 1 Page

    How Did Zimbardo Evaluate The Psychological Effects Of The Stanford Prison Experiment

    The Stanford Prison Experiment took place during the summer of 1971 and was led by Stanford University professor, Philip G. Zimbardo (Zimbardo). The experiment was done to evaluate the psychological effects of guards and prisoners (prisonexp). In order to test this, Zimbardo decided to create a mock prison in a hall of the Stanford psychology building (prisonexp). This was a costly affair and to afford the experiment, Zimbardo was funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, who was also interested in the science behind the conflict between guards and prisoners (bbcprsionstudy). The Stanford Prison Experiment originally was conducted to study the relationship betweens guards and prisoners, but by the conclusion of the experiment it was obvious…

    • 140 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    How Did The Stanford Prison Experiment Affect Zimbardo's Behavior
    • 1846 Words
    • 8 Pages

    How Did The Stanford Prison Experiment Affect Zimbardo's Behavior

    When people are given little to no direction or training, and are faced with dealing with people they may perceive as a threat to their own safety and the well-being of others, they have a propensity to overstep what most would consider reasonable behavior. The “guards” in the experiment were put into a position of authority and took the steps they deemed necessary to maintain order. In spite of the fact that they knew it was an experiment, they were immersed in the situation and played the role given them. The “prisoners” played their part and were so wholly immersed in the role and the environment that their entire perspective of reality was altered. They began to believe they were helpless and unable to help themselves out of the situation they found themselves. They had become powerless to change the situation, in spite of the fact that it was just an…

    • 1846 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Philip Zimbardos Simulated Prison Experiment
    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Philip Zimbardos Simulated Prison Experiment

    In 1971, psychologist Phillip Zimbardo set out to create an experiment that looked at the impact of becoming a prisoner or a prison guard. The experiment was to test human behavior when one's role had been altered into authoritative one. Still powerful after all these years the experiment was the most powerful and popular experiment of all time (O'Toole, K). Researches set up a mock prison in the basement of Stanford University building. There were the 24 students out of 70 volunteers chosen to play the roles of the prisoners or prison guards.…

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Stanford Prison Experiment Zimbardo
    • 176 Words
    • 1 Page

    Stanford Prison Experiment Zimbardo

    One of the infamous experiment in the history of psychology was the Stanford Prison Experiment. Its creator, Dr. Zimbardo, main objective was to see what effects would occur when a psychological experiment into human nature was performed. As I began to perform some research of my own, I noticed that my thoughts on the matter were similar to many; that as a scientific research project, Mr. Zimbardo’s experiment it was a complete failure. However, his findings did provide us with something that was much more important that is still being talked about today; insight into human psychology and social behavior.…

    • 176 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Stanford Prison Experiment Summary
    • 1783 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Stanford Prison Experiment Summary

    A team at Stanford University, led by Phillip Zimbardo, conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment to investigate causes of conflict between military guards and prisoners. Zimbardo and his team were seeking to observe the inherent personality traits of prisoners and guards and see if this was the chief cause of abusive behavior in these settings (Haney, Banks, and Zimbardo, 1973). This study is one that is well know and well-recognized. Zimbardo and his study are often discussed in many psychology courses today, and have even caused reform in prison systems as well as IRB/APA ethical committees.…

    • 1783 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Zimbardo Stanford Prison Experiment
    • 1588 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Zimbardo Stanford Prison Experiment

    In order to continue the experiment, deception and manipulation had to be used on the prisoners and their families. The basement was cleaned, rearranged and made presentable for outsiders. The prisoners were groomed, feed a hot meal and warned about not complaining when the families arrived or the visit would be cut short. The families were greeted by Susie the receptionist to keep up appearances and to entertain for an additional thirty minutes as they continued to prepare. Even though the prisoners were only allowed two visitors, for ten minutes while the guards watched, the families left content. Rumors begin to circulate that prisoner 8612 was planning to come back with a crowd and force the release of the remaining prisoners. Zimbardo had no choice but to send the students to another location, in case anyone showed up. Even though no one showed up, someone was going to pay for the hard work that the guards put in. With no surprise, day four came with an increase in humiliation, dehumanization and more unnecessary punishment to the prisoners. On top of regular work, they were forced to shine the guard’s shoes. The guards were taking their roles in the experiment very seriously. They were not tolerating any disrespect and had no problems asserting their superiority over the prisoners. Almost everyone was falling in line and accepting their order except prisoner 819. He did not partipcate in the 6 am count and refused to exercise. Going even further, he trashed his cell and barricaded himself in. He was not punished by himself but also the other prisoners. Eventually, he was thrown into the hole. A priest came to visit, and accessed the situation. Prisoner 819 agreed to meet with him, and broke down. It was so severe that he was taken away to be comforted with food and rest. The priest advised them that their stimulation was very convincing and was similar to a prison with first time offenders. Around 11:30 pm the guards gathered the…

    • 1588 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Zimbardo Prison Eperiment
    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Zimbardo Prison Eperiment

    In the field of psychology, experiments are an essential part of the study. Guidelines have been fenced around the experiments to protect the subjects being tested. Unethical experiments had to take place in order for these guidelines to be placed. In 1971, Psychologist Philip Zimbardo conducted an experiment that changed the future of psychology and how it is practiced today, The Stanford Experiment. According to Kendra Cherry, author of an article The Stanford Experiment, researchers asked how subjects would react when placed in a prison environment.…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Summary Of Philip Zimbardo's Prison Experiment
    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Summary Of Philip Zimbardo's Prison Experiment

    Philip Zimbardo’s prison experiment was also about cognitive dissonance; whether or not people would be obedient to authority. The Stanford Prison Experiment took place in 1971 and was to last 2 weeks; the study only lasted 6 days because some participants were experiencing severe anxiety or, like one participant, went on a hunger strike. Participants responded to an ad offering money if they signed up for a prison research experiment. Some participants were made guards, others were made prisoners. The prisoners were picked up at their home in a police car and taken to the police station, fingerprinted, and mug shots were taken. They were they transported to the fake prison at Stanford where they were strip searched and given prisoner numbers.…

    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Stanford Experiment Summary
    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Stanford Experiment Summary

    Concluding the experiment the chaplain evaluated the prison situation was overly complex and seemingly pointless. As being a prisoner they found that the prisoners felt hopelessly. The prison behavior found that prisoner who endured the process longer was prisoners of a high degree of authority. Prisoners dealt with their feelings and frustration in many ways. Some rebelled and fault with guards, some broke down emotionally, some developed a psychosomatic rash, and others reacted by being good prisoners.…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Zimbardo Research Paper
    • 1014 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Zimbardo Research Paper

    The Stanford Prison Experiment was a study conducted in 1971 by Dr. Phillip Zimbardo. According to Dr. Steve Taylor (2007), “It’s probably the best known psychological study of all time.” (Classic Studies in Psychology, 2007). Zimbardo stated that the point was to see what would happen if he put “really good people in a bad place” (Dr. Zimbardo, 2007). He did this during a time were most college students were protesting for peace and were against anything authoritarian. The experiment contained both positive and negative aspects; which will be discussed further in this paper.…

    • 1014 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Stanford Prison Experiment
    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Stanford Prison Experiment

    These emotional burdens did not prevent the prisoners or guards from being disobedient even if such actions were to their own benefit. An example of this is when all the prisoners decided to…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Abu Ghraib - Essay
    • 1029 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Abu Ghraib - Essay

    In Zimbardo’s experiment they constructed a prison in the basement of Stanford University’s psychology building. There were twenty-one participants (ten prisoners and eleven guards), all of which were…

    • 1029 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Stanford Prison Experiment
    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Stanford Prison Experiment

    Even though guards were instructed not to use violence, they started to use authoritarian measures which sometimes lead to torture prisoners too. In particular on the second day of the experiment when the prisoners staged a revolt, once the guards had the prison back under control, they increased the humiliation, aggression and dehumanization. The psychologists had to frequently remind the guards to refrain from such tactics but most of the abuse occurred in the middle of the night when the guards thought the staff members were not watching. Some guards forced prisoners to clean out toilet bowls with their bare hands, act out degrading scenarios, or urged them to become snitches.…

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Stanford Prison Experiment
    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Stanford Prison Experiment

    The stanford prison experiment is one of the infamous experiments conducted in the history of psychology. The experiment was conducted at Stanford University in August, 1971 by a team of researchers led by psychology professor Philip Zimbardo. The basic premise was to find out and determine what happens when you put good people in an evil place? Does humanity win over evil, or does evil triumph? Does the system that we inhabit and are a part of start to control our behaviour or our inner morality and values continue to direct it? It was a study of the psychological effects of becoming a prisoner or a prison guard. To carry out this experiment, a subterranean jail was set up in the psychology department building. Adverts were placed in local newspapers offering $15 per day for participants in this program. Of the 75 responses, the 24 male subjects judged to be most mentally and emotionally stable were selected. Those 24 were then divided into two groups randomly, of 12 prisoners and 12 guards. The group selected to be the guards were outfitted in ‘military-style’ intimidating uniforms. They were also equipped with wooden batons and mirrored shades, to prevent eye-contact and make the guards appear less human. The researchers held an orientation session for guards the day before the experiment, during which they instructed them not to physically harm the prisoners. In the footage of the study, Zimbardo can be seen talking to the guards: "You can create in the prisoners feelings of boredom, a sense of fear to some degree, you can create a notion of arbitrariness that their life is totally controlled by us, by the system, you, me, and they'll have no privacy... We're going to take away their individuality in various ways. In general what all this leads to is a sense of powerlessness. That is, in this situation we'll have all the power and they'll have none." The prisoners were instructed to wait at home "to be called" for the start of…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More