Stanford Prison Experiment: Lecture Notes

Introduction

• The Stanford Prison Experiment is a pivotal and controversial psychological study.
• Conducted by Dr. Philip Zimbardo at Stanford University in 1971.
• Widely discussed in psychology courses, controversial due to ethics and conclusions.

Experiment Overview

• Location: Basement of Stanford University.
• Participants: 24 male volunteers (12 guards and 12 prisoners).
• Objective: Understand the psychological effects of perceived power in a prison setting.
• Duration: Intended for 2 weeks, terminated after 6 days due to ethical concerns.
• Outcome: Quick deterioration into cruel behavior by 'guards'.

Ethical Concerns and International Impact

• Experiment stopped due to extreme conditions.
• Results widely taught and cited in various contexts, including criminal trials and military conduct.
• Zimbardo's conclusion: Situational power and anonymity can lead to evil behavior.

Recent Criticisms and Re-evaluations

• Journalist Ben Blum's involvement due to personal ties (his cousin, a former Army Ranger, was defended by Zimbardo).
• Blum's critique: Zimbardo's conclusions may have facilitated shirking personal responsibility.
• Participant feedback contradicts official narrative: Guards were directed to act cruelly.

Demand Characteristics

• Experiment may have been influenced by demand characteristics (participants acting to fulfill experimenter's expectations).
• Zimbardo initially claimed guards' sadism was spontaneous.
• Evidence suggests guards were instructed to oppress prisoners.

Alternative Interpretations and Reapplication

• Re-evaluation suggests flawed methodology and conclusions.
• Modern attempts to replicate with controlled demand characteristics suggest different results.
• Dr. Jared Bartels proposes a re-experiment without guard-prisoner roles.

Modern Experiment Design

• Focus on anonymity, depersonalization, and power without specific role labels.
• Results showed personality traits (moral, conscientious) resisted situational cruelty.

Conclusion and Implications

• Debate continues on the balance between situational influences and inherent personality traits.
• Importance of questioning methods for scientific progress.
• Experiment remains a valuable case study for power dynamics and ethical implications in psychological research.