Stanford Prison Experiment

Stanford Prison Experiment

Briefly summarize the original Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE). What happened during the SPE? What conclusions were drawn by the lead researcher Philip Zimbardo?

The Stanford Prison Experiment was a social psychology experiment carried out by psychology professor, Phillip Zimbardo. The research was meant to find out the effect of percieved power on human nature. In this research, the professor randomly selected students where half took the roles of prison guards and the other half took the role of prisoners. They were placed in a simulated prison environment and both physical and psychological environment resembled that of a real prioson.

The Stanford Prison  Experiment that was supposed to last for two weeks ended permaturely after six days. This was because the students who took part in the experiment developed severe psychological changes. The prison guards were becoming sadistic and authoritarian and the prisoners were becoming depressed. Also, the experiment faced a morality question.

Professor Phillip Zimbardo concluded that human nature is subjected to the power of authority. In only a few hours the prison guards had assumed power and the prisoners became subjected to the prison guards. The psychological state of the simulated prison had conditioned the subjects to not only think but believe that they were in a real prison to the extent that the guards believed that they were in the highest hierachy while the prisoners believed that they were inferior and less important.

Briefly summarize controversies surrounding the SPE. What are the controversies you read about and what evidence led to such controversies?

The controversies surrounding the experiment were the psychological state of the participants as the experiiment went on. The prison guards were abusing their power by treating the prisoners cruerly and making them feel inferior. The prisoners on the other hand were developing depression, anxiety and emotional distress. The evidence that led to the controversy of the experiment was when professor Phillip Zimbardo learned that the guards were abusing the prisoners in the middle of the night when they thought that nobody was watching. Also, Christina Maschlah, future wife to the professor, questioned the morality of the experiment when she saw what the prisoners were going through.

After your research, are you convinced by Zimbardo’s original conclusions? Are you convinced by those who raised concerns? Why or why not?

I am conviced by both Zimbardo’s conclusions and also by those who raised concerns. This is because before the experiment started, all participant were in stable phychological conditions bit as the experiment progressed their states changed significantly. The guards had become sadistic and authoritarian while the prisoners had become depressed and distressed. Therefore I agree with profeffor Zimbardo that power of authority can affect the psychological state of a person. Also, the concerns raised were right because the guards had become abusive to the prisoners. Seeing that this was only an experiment, there were concerns about how the participants would behave after the experiment considering the conditions they were put under. s

If you were teaching an Introduction to Psychology course, how would you teach your students about this famous yet controversial “experiment”?

I would teach this experiment as an introduction to cognitive dissonance. This would be a perfect example showing how one can be manipulated psychologically into changing their attitude and behaviour. I would also highlight on the controversies of the experiment in order to give the students an indepth understanding of the experiment.