Questions and Answers
What was written on the prisoners' smocks?
How did the guards treat the prisoners?
Why did some prisoners start siding with the guards?
What was the result of the prisoners' increasing dependence on the guards?
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How many guards were on duty at a time?
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Study Notes
Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment
- Aimed to investigate how people conform to roles of guard and prisoner in a simulated prison environment
- Explored whether the brutality reported among guards in American prisons is due to sadistic personalities or the prison environment
Experimental Design
- Converted a Stanford University basement into a mock prison
- Advertised for students to play roles of prisoners and guards for a fortnight
- 21 male college students were selected from 75 volunteers and paid $15 per day
- Participants were randomly assigned to either prisoner or guard roles
Prison Simulation
- Prisoners were arrested at their homes, taken to a police station, and then to the mock prison
- Guards were issued khaki uniforms, whistles, handcuffs, and dark glasses to prevent eye contact with prisoners
- No physical violence was permitted
Deindividuation Process
- Prisoners were stripped naked, deloused, and had personal possessions removed
- They were issued prison clothes and bedding, and referred to by their number only
- Guards began to harass prisoners within hours, adopting brutal and sadistic behaviors
- Prisoners soon adopted prisoner-like behavior, discussing prison issues and telling on each other to the guards
Relationships Between Guards and Prisoners
- Guards became more derisive and contemptuous towards prisoners as they became more dependent
- Prisoners became more submissive as guards' contempt grew, trying to please them by telling on fellow prisoners
- Guards demanded greater obedience from prisoners, who were dependent on them for everything
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Description
This quiz is about the Stanford Prison Experiment conducted by Zimbardo to study conformity and the roles people play in prison situations. The experiment was a simulation of prison life to investigate the behavior of guards and prisoners.
