Stanford Prison Experiment - 905 Words

The Stanford Prison Experiment California State University, Long Beach The Stanford Prison Experiment The Stanford Prison Experiment is a very thought-provoking topic discussed in various classes. Professor and psychologist Philip Zimbardo conducted this experiment through Stanford University. Twenty-four men were randomly selected to participate in a simulated prison environment and were given roles as prisoners or prison guards. This was done to challenge the moral compass of â€Å"good† individuals in a negative environment, which in this case was a prison. Surprisingly, the participants truly embodied their roles. Throughout the experiment, the prison guards enforced their authoritarian power and tormented the prisoners both†¦show more content†¦Although this was not direct physical violence, sleep deprivation and rigorous physical activity could have been detrimental in other ways to the prisoners’ bodies. Also, when Zimbardo was confronted by one of the prisoners requesting to leave the experiment, he responded as a superintendent and negotiated the priso ner into staying at the prison, causing him to endure further torment by the guards. This would not have occurred had Zimbardo responded in a transparent manner as a psychologist. This prisoner eventually displayed signs of severe distress. This is added evidence that the experiment took a negative psychological toll on the participants. Furthermore, a prisoner who performed a hunger strike was forced into solitary confinement, which was an uncomfortably narrow and dark room. It is generally known that extended periods of stressful isolation can cause psychological damage to an individual. Overall, the Stanford Prison Experiment blatantly demonstrated various types of abuse to its human subjects through its prolonged degradation and harm to the individuals. Ultimately, it violated the ASA’s Code of Ethics. Despite the controversy, many found the results of the experiment interesting. Zimbardo’s research concluded that if â€Å"good† people were placed in a negat ive and evil institution, the environment will overcome the individuals and they will embody the nature of their setting. This impliedShow MoreRelatedA Experiment On Stanford Prison Experiment984 Words   |  4 PagesStanford Prison Experiment was a study that was conducted to determine the psychology of imprisonment. It was a simulation experiment that was carried out at Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. This has been dubbed as the classical psychological experiment regarding prisoners and even explains the prisoner abuse that was meted to the poor Muslim prisoners at Abu Ghraib Prison in Cuba. The research questions were to know whether evil prevailed over humanity or whether humanity was suppressed byRead MoreThe Stanford Prison Experiment1006 Words   |  5 PagesCharlie Parrish Mrs. Gumina English III, Hr. 4 18 March 2015 Introduction The Stanford Prison experiment was conducted in 1971, during the summer, at Stanford University. The mastermind behind the experiment was Philip G. Zimbardo, a psychologist and a professor at Stanford University. To help closely simulate a prison environment they called upon an expert. â€Å"Our study of prison life began, then, with an average group of healthy, intelligent, middle class males† (Zimbardo 4). With this group ofRead MoreThe Stanford Prison Experiment : A Experiment890 Words   |  4 PagesThe Stanford Prison Experiment has been one of great controversy since it took place in 1971. Originally established to observe and record the psychological effects the criminal justice system has on prisoners and guards, the experiment went awry due to the neglect of Zimbardo, the scientist holding the experiment. The Stanford Prison Experiment or SPE consisted of 18 students and 6 alternatives recreating regular prison life by being randomly assigned the roles of prisoner a nd guard. Due to hisRead MoreStanford Prison Experiment : Stanford Jail Experiment Essay714 Words   |  3 PagesNathan Mariano Estepa September 13, 2015 Stanford Prison Experiment Zimbardo decided to run an experiment where he would turn a basement under the Stanford campus into a mock prison where he would interview several participants where they would randomly get assigned either guard, or prisoner. Zimbardo aimed to see how everyone pertained the roles they were placed in. Interviewing 75 potential participants, Zimbardo only chose 24 male college students which they received payments of $15/day. TheyRead MoreThe Stanford Prison Experiments1627 Words   |  7 PagesMollie Herrick Professor Ronnfeldt WRC 1013, 0B2 September 26, 2014 The Stanford Prison Experiments The Stanford Prison Experiments, which happened over forty years ago, showed how power, and being powerless, would change and affect a person to do things they wouldn’t normally do. The experiment was started to show what being in the situation of prison would do to a person psychologically. â€Å"I wanted to know who wins -- good people or an evil situation -- when they were brought into direct confrontation†(ZimbardoRead MoreThe Stanford Prison Experiment1658 Words   |  7 Pagesimportant issues today. The Stanford Prison Experiment, conducted over 40 years ago, brought these ethical issues into the limelight and remains one of the most controversial studies in the history of studying human behavior. This paper aims to define ethics, describe risk/benefit ratio, provide a brief background on the Stanford Prison Experiment, and evaluate the impact it has had on psychological research. â€Æ' The Stanford Prison Experiment The Stanford Prison Experiment probably tops a lot of listsRead MoreThe Stanford Prison Experiment1902 Words   |  8 PagesThe Stanford prison experiment was conducted at Stanford University on August 14th through August 20th in 1971, by a team of researchers headed by psychology professor Philip Zimbardo. This experiment used college students and was funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research. The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps were both very interested in this particular experiment due to the many violent outbreaks and conflicts between military guards and prisoners. In 2010 Hollywood produced a movie on the events ofRead MoreThe Stanford Prison Experiment At Stanford University1239 Words   |  5 Pagesstudent at Stanford University in California. Like most college kids, you are strapped for cash, so you begin to seek a part time job. You see an ad for a psychology study that pays $15 per day posted in the local newspaper, and decide to submit an application. Little do you know at the time, that the study you are applying for will become known worldwide and create such an impact that it remains relevant over 44 years later. This infamous study is known today as the Stanford Prison Experiment. The experimentRead MoreThe Stanford Prison Experiment : Stanford University1697 Words   |  7 PagesThe Stanford Prison Experiment On the morning of August 17, 1971, ten men were arrested from their homes in the Palo Alto area, each with charges of burglary and theft. They were taken to the local police station where they were booked, fingerprinted, blindfolded, and transported to the Stanford Prison - also known as the Psychology department at Stanford University. Not even Philip Zimbardo, the psychologist behind the experiment that would shape the field of psychology for years to come, couldRead MoreA Report On The Stanford Prison Experiment904 Words   |  4 Pages A Report on the Stanford Prison Experiment of 1971 I. Introduction: This report on the Stanford Prison Experiment will define the ethical issues related to prisoner treatment and prison culture in a mock scenario created 1971. The findings of this study define the inclination towards corruption and riotous behavior within the overarching relationship between guard and the prisoners. In a short period of time,. The prisoners became hostile and sought to start a riot in order to free themselves