The STANFORD Prison Experiment

The Stanford prison experiment was a psychological study conducted in 1971 by a team of researchers led by Stanford University professor Philip Zimbardo. The aim of the study was to investigate the psychological effects of perceived power, focusing on the roles of prisoners and guards in a simulated prison environment.

The experiment was conducted in the basement of Stanford’s psychology building, where Zimbardo and his team converted a corridor into a mock prison. They recruited 24 male college students to participate in the study, randomly assigning them to play the roles of either prisoners or guards. The prisoners were arrested at their homes, “booked” at a local police station, and then transported to the mock prison. The guards were given uniforms and instructed to maintain order and control over the prisoners.

The study was intended to last two weeks, but was ended after only six days due to the extreme psychological effects it had on the participants. The guards became sadistic and abusive, while the prisoners became submissive and depressed. The experiment raised questions about the effects of power and authority on human behavior, and has been widely discussed and debated in the fields of psychology and sociology.

The Flaw In The Stanford Prison Experiment

One of the main criticisms of the Stanford prison experiment is that it lacked ecological validity, meaning that the results may not be applicable or generalizable to real-world situations. The experiment was conducted in a simulated prison environment, using college students as participants. This artificial setting may have influenced the participants’ behavior in ways that would not be present in a real prison.

Additionally, the experiment was highly artificial and contrived, with the participants being randomly assigned to play the roles of prisoners or guards. In a real prison, the guards and prisoners would have very different backgrounds and motivations, which could affect their behavior. The artificial nature of the experiment may have led the participants to behave in ways that they would not normally behave in a real-world situation.

Another flaw of the experiment was its lack of control over extraneous variables. For example, the researchers did not control for the participants’ prior experiences with power and authority, which could have influenced their behavior. Additionally, the researchers did not provide clear guidelines for the guards’ behavior, which may have contributed to their abuse of power.

Overall, while the Stanford prison experiment raised important questions about the effects of power and authority on human behavior, its limitations and flaws mean that its results should be interpreted with caution.

Movies about the Stanford Prison Experiment

There have been several movies made about the Stanford prison experiment, including:

1. “The Stanford Prison Experiment” (2015) – a dramatic retelling of the experiment, starring Billy Crudup as Philip Zimbardo and featuring an ensemble cast as the prisoners and guards.
2. “Quiet Rage: The Stanford Prison Experiment” (1992) – a documentary film that features footage of the experiment, as well as interviews with Philip Zimbardo and other participants.
3. “The Experiment” (2010) – a German film that is loosely based on the Stanford prison experiment, starring Moritz Bleibtreu and Oliver Stokowski as prisoners and guards in a simulated prison.
4. “The Stanford Prison Experiment: A Simulation Study” (2001) – a British film that reenacts the experiment, with actors playing the roles of the prisoners and guards.
5. “The Cage: The Stanford Prison Experiment Revisited” (1994) – a documentary film that explores the ethical and psychological implications of the experiment, featuring interviews with Philip Zimbardo and other experts.

Research Methods Used in the Stanford Prison Experiment

The Stanford prison experiment was a quasi-experimental study, which is a type of research that combines elements of both experimental and observational research. In an experimental study, the researcher manipulates one or more independent variables and measures their effect on the dependent variable. In an observational study, the researcher simply observes the behavior of the participants without manipulating any variables.

In the Stanford prison experiment, the researchers manipulated the independent variable of perceived power, by assigning the participants to play the roles of prisoners or guards. They then observed the behavior of the prisoners and guards and measured the effects of the manipulation on the dependent variable, which was the participants’ behavior.

The quasi-experimental design of the Stanford prison experiment allowed the researchers to investigate the effects of power on behavior in a controlled setting, while still allowing for some natural variation in the participants’ behavior. However, the artificial nature of the experiment has been criticized for lacking ecological validity, or the ability to generalize the results to real-world situations.

How The Stanford Prison Experiment Could Have Been Improved

There are several ways in which the Stanford prison experiment could have been improved to address its limitations and flaws:

1. Increase ecological validity: The experiment could have been conducted in a real prison, using actual prisoners and guards, rather than using a simulated environment and college students as participants. This would have increased the ecological validity of the study, making the results more applicable and generalizable to real-world situations.
2. Control for extraneous variables: The experiment could have controlled for variables that could have influenced the participants’ behavior, such as their prior experiences with power and authority. This would have made the results more reliable and accurate.
3. Provide clear guidelines for behavior: The experiment could have provided clear guidelines and expectations for the guards’ behavior, to prevent them from becoming abusive and sadistic. This would have ensured that the experiment was conducted ethically and without causing harm to the participants.
4. Use a randomized controlled design: The experiment could have used a randomized controlled design, in which the participants are randomly assigned to the different conditions (prisoner or guard) and a control group is included. This would have allowed the researchers to more accurately measure the effects of the manipulation and control for extraneous variables.