Stanford Prison Experiment Summary
Intro- name of the paper
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.
Summary of the study
Recruitment
Zimbardo and his team placed an advertisement in newspapers seeking volunteers who would …show more content…
This study is considered a classic when with regards to prison psychology. According to the American Psychological Association (2004) “Its messages have been carried in many textbooks in the social sciences, in classroom lectures across many nations, and in popular media renditions. Its web site has gotten over 15 million unique page views in the past four years, and more than a million a week in the weeks following the expose of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American Military Police army reservists in Abu Ghraib Prison”. Zimbardo’s research has come to be known as one of the classical example of how circumstantial power has the ability to influence individuals in multiple domains. This experiment is historically one of the prime examples of how even the most “good” person when placed under specific situations can in turn transform into “evil”. It shows just how easily individuality can be stripped away and in turn how the environment can define and dictate ones …show more content…
While we did not go greatly in depth into the study during my undergraduate course, it was during my Masters degree that this study was talked about quite a bit (but seeing as how I attended a criminal justice school and was in the Forensic Mental Health Counseling Program this came as to no surprise). I remember this study being brought up in several courses, hearing several presentations on it, and always thought that this study was intriguing. I think that this study in particular has fascinated me because of what Zimbardo was examining. He was looking at how does a persons clothing, status, power, etc. really and truly affect them in their environments. Is there something external or is depositional? I was curious if this study could be translated into a more modern day point of view. Or even more simply can this be seen in everyday
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.
Summary of the study
Recruitment
Zimbardo and his team placed an advertisement in newspapers seeking volunteers who would …show more content…
This study is considered a classic when with regards to prison psychology. According to the American Psychological Association (2004) “Its messages have been carried in many textbooks in the social sciences, in classroom lectures across many nations, and in popular media renditions. Its web site has gotten over 15 million unique page views in the past four years, and more than a million a week in the weeks following the expose of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American Military Police army reservists in Abu Ghraib Prison”. Zimbardo’s research has come to be known as one of the classical example of how circumstantial power has the ability to influence individuals in multiple domains. This experiment is historically one of the prime examples of how even the most “good” person when placed under specific situations can in turn transform into “evil”. It shows just how easily individuality can be stripped away and in turn how the environment can define and dictate ones …show more content…
While we did not go greatly in depth into the study during my undergraduate course, it was during my Masters degree that this study was talked about quite a bit (but seeing as how I attended a criminal justice school and was in the Forensic Mental Health Counseling Program this came as to no surprise). I remember this study being brought up in several courses, hearing several presentations on it, and always thought that this study was intriguing. I think that this study in particular has fascinated me because of what Zimbardo was examining. He was looking at how does a persons clothing, status, power, etc. really and truly affect them in their environments. Is there something external or is depositional? I was curious if this study could be translated into a more modern day point of view. Or even more simply can this be seen in everyday