Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment

Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment

• The aim of the study was to examine conformity to social roles. Specifically, whether people adapt their behavior to fit the expectations of roles they are assigned.
• Social roles are defined as the parts individuals play in social groups. Each role comes with expected behaviors.
• The study was conducted at Stanford University.
• Zimbardo was a psychology professor at Stanford University.
• The study involved a mock prison created in the basement of the University.
• Participants were university students randomly assigned as prisoners or guards.
• Guards were instructed to maintain order and control in the prison.
• Participants were screened to ensure they were healthy and considered "normal".
• Participants were paid $15 per day.
• The study was to last 14 days but was cut short after 6 days due to extreme emotional responses and sadistic behavior by the guards.
• Prisoners' experiences were traumatic, with abuse and human rights violations occurring.
• The behavior of the guards escalated to inhuman levels, potentially influenced by the social roles.
• Zimbardo, immersed in his role as superintendent, lost his impartiality.
• A graduate student, Christina Maslach, stopped the study after observing inappropriate treatment of the prisoners.
• The study highlights how situational pressures can influence behavior.

Key Characteristics and Roles

• Guards: Mirrored sunglasses, khaki shirts/trousers, night sticks, whistles.
• Prisoners: Stocking caps, smocks with ID numbers, no underwear, rubber sandals, chain and lock around the ankle.

Key Findings and Impact

• Conformity to social roles significantly influences behavior in the study.
• The study highlighted that individuals can behave in ways they wouldn't normally under specific situational pressures.
• The study's implications are significant for understanding human behavior and social influence in institutions.

Key Terms and Concepts

• Deindividuation: Loss of self-awareness, less responsibility for actions.
• Diffusion of responsibility: Less likely to take action when others are present.
• Dehumanization: Viewing opposition as less human and not deserving of moral consideration.
• Learned Helplessness: A state where individuals feel helpless to avoid negative events, or are unable to avoid them.
• Social Power: The ability to influence or control the behavior of people.
• Situational factors: Characteristics of a situation that influence behavior.
• Dispositional factors: Personal traits, characteristics, and temperaments influencing behavior.
• Temporal Validity: Evaluating if a study's findings are reliable over time (would the same results be obtained today?).
• Ethnocentrism: Using one's own culture as a standard to judge others.