Zimbardo Prison Experiment (Stanford Prison Experiment)

Overview

• Conducted By: Philip Zimbardo
• Location: Stanford University
• Year: 1971
• Objective: Examine how social norms and conventions influence behavior in roles of prisoners and guards.

Key Concepts

• Addresses conformity and obedience, similar to the Asch and Milgram studies.
• Investigates the impact of social roles on behavior.
• Explores how ordinary people can perform extraordinary actions in certain situations.

Methodology

• Participants: 18 middle-class students with no psychological or medical problems.

• Selection: Random assignment via coin flip into roles of guards or prisoners.

• Environment: Mock prison set up in Stanford's Psychology building basement.

• Conditions for Prisoners:

  • Arrested by Palo Alto Police, handcuffed, fingerprinted, and mugshot.
  • Given ill-fitting uniforms, numbers instead of names, and ankle chains.
  • No windows or clocks in cells to simulate prison conditions.

• Conditions for Guards:

  • Instructed not to physically harm prisoners.
  • Allowed to create fear, loss of privacy, control, and individuality.
  • Provided with uniforms, batons (for threat), and mirrored sunglasses.
  • Instructed to maintain law and order without physical harm.

Experiment Progression

• Day 1:

  • Uneventful; prisoners nonchalant, guards awkward.

• Day 2:

  • Prisoners rebelled (e.g., barricading in cells).
  • Guards viewed rebellion as a threat to authority.
  • Guards used fire extinguishers and forced strip-downs.
  • Solitary confinement used for rebelling prisoners.

• Day 3 Onwards:

  • Prisoners experienced breakdowns; one was removed after 36 hours.
  • Hunger strikes occurred; guards increased psychological pressure.
  • Forced exercise, withholding bathroom privileges, and use of buckets.
  • Attempts to turn prisoners against each other.

Ethical Concerns and Termination

• Zimbardo acted as prison warden, lost objectivity.
• Study ended after 6 days due to external intervention by Christina Mazlach.
• Mazlach's reaction prompted Zimbardo to reassess and terminate the experiment.
• Half of the prisoners released due to emotional breakdowns; no guards left early.

Conclusion

• The study demonstrated the powerful influence of situational forces on behavior.
• Raised significant ethical questions regarding human subject research.