Stanford Prison Experiment
Psychology 270 - 03
Homework Assignment 1
Prison Experiment
(100 Pts)
Go to the following site:http://www.prisonexp.org/. Click on Begin SlideShow at the bottom of the page. Read through the article and watch the video in entirety.
Respond to all questions below. 1. If you were a guard in this scenario, what type of guard would you have become? Why?
2. What prevented "good guards" from objecting to or countermanding the orders from “tough” or “bad guards”?
3. If you were a prisoner, would you have been able to endure the experience? Why or why not? What would you have done differently fromwhat the subjects did in this experiment? If you were imprisoned for five or more years, how would you adapt to this environment? What would you do in order to survive?
4. How do the ethical dilemmas in this experiment compare with the ethical issues raised by Stanley Milgram’s obedience experiments? How would it be beneficial if these experiments had never been conducted. Please elaborate.
5. Moving beyond physical prisons built of steel and concrete, what psychological prisons do we create for ourselves and others? If prisons are seen as forms of control which limit individual freedom, how do they differ from the prisons we create through racism, sexism, ageism, poverty, and other social institutions?
6. What is your personal opinion of the experiment?
Deadline – Tuesday, March 19, 2013 11:15 a.m.
A hardcopy of your assignment must be submitted to me by the deadline. No late assignments will be accepted.
Guidelines
These are essay questions. Your responses must be well developed and detailed.
Length of assignment - Minimum 5 Pages (Five Full Pages)
Double Spaced
12 point font – Ariel, Times New Roman, or Calibri
Black ink only
You must include a cover page.
You will be penalized for spelling and grammatical errors. It is mandatory that assignments are proofread and edited prior to
Homework Assignment 1
Prison Experiment
(100 Pts)
Go to the following site:http://www.prisonexp.org/. Click on Begin SlideShow at the bottom of the page. Read through the article and watch the video in entirety.
Respond to all questions below. 1. If you were a guard in this scenario, what type of guard would you have become? Why?
2. What prevented "good guards" from objecting to or countermanding the orders from “tough” or “bad guards”?
3. If you were a prisoner, would you have been able to endure the experience? Why or why not? What would you have done differently fromwhat the subjects did in this experiment? If you were imprisoned for five or more years, how would you adapt to this environment? What would you do in order to survive?
4. How do the ethical dilemmas in this experiment compare with the ethical issues raised by Stanley Milgram’s obedience experiments? How would it be beneficial if these experiments had never been conducted. Please elaborate.
5. Moving beyond physical prisons built of steel and concrete, what psychological prisons do we create for ourselves and others? If prisons are seen as forms of control which limit individual freedom, how do they differ from the prisons we create through racism, sexism, ageism, poverty, and other social institutions?
6. What is your personal opinion of the experiment?
Deadline – Tuesday, March 19, 2013 11:15 a.m.
A hardcopy of your assignment must be submitted to me by the deadline. No late assignments will be accepted.
Guidelines
These are essay questions. Your responses must be well developed and detailed.
Length of assignment - Minimum 5 Pages (Five Full Pages)
Double Spaced
12 point font – Ariel, Times New Roman, or Calibri
Black ink only
You must include a cover page.
You will be penalized for spelling and grammatical errors. It is mandatory that assignments are proofread and edited prior to