1. Zimbardo Stanford Prison Experiment 1971

2. College students on summer break recruited through a newspaper ad for a two week experiment being paid $15/day. The students were given the California Personality Inventory and interviewed By the experiment staff. Two dozen of those judged to be most normal, average, and healthy on all dimensions assessed were selected to participate. Most stated a preference to be in the role of prisoners. Those selected as guards helped in the final stages of the construction of the simulated prison in the basement of the psychology building. The guards helped select their own military style uniforms at the army surplus store and met for a general orientation and to formulate rules for proper prisoner behavior. Prisoners were arrested by Palo Alto Police and brought to the experiment site in handcuffs. Stanford Prison Experiment – Set Up

3. Zimbardo Stanford Prison Experiment 1971 Built a mock prison in university basement Built a mock prison in university basement Recruited 21 healthy and well adjusted students as volunteers Recruited 21 healthy and well adjusted students as volunteers Randomly allocated them to the role of prisoner or guard Randomly allocated them to the role of prisoner or guard Found that interpersonal relationships deteriorated, became negative / hostile/ humiliating/ dehumanising Found that interpersonal relationships deteriorated, became negative / hostile/ humiliating/ dehumanising

4. The Prison Rebel The prisoners were brought to their "prison," stripped, searched, showered, dressed in prison outfits, and put in "cells." The prisoners were brought to their "prison," stripped, searched, showered, dressed in prison outfits, and put in "cells." The guards were given guard uniforms, including night sticks. The guards were given guard uniforms, including night sticks.

5. Prisoner 8612 Freaks Out Prisoner 8612, who had protested so loudly during the rebellion, decides that in order to get out, he will pretend to be crazy. Prisoner 8612, who had protested so loudly during the rebellion, decides that in order to get out, he will pretend to be crazy.

6. Prisoner 416 Resists Prisoner 416 also decides to resist, this time by refusing to eat his food. You will hear him describing his experience. Prisoner 416 also decides to resist, this time by refusing to eat his food. You will hear him describing his experience.

7. Guard "John Wayne" Responds One of the guards reacts by punishing the prisoners. One of the guards reacts by punishing the prisoners.

8. The Prisoners Turn on Prisoner 416 Prisoner 416 continues to resist. The guards try to enlist the other prisoners to turn on him. Prisoner 416 continues to resist. The guards try to enlist the other prisoners to turn on him.

9. The guards steadily increased their coercive and aggressive tactics, humiliation, and dehumanization of the prisoners day by day. The worst abuses by guards came on the late-shift, when they thought the staff was asleep and they were not being monitored. Powerful conformity pressures eliminated individual differences among the prisoners. Never once did one of the so-called good guards ever contest an order by a sadistic guard, intervene to stop or prevent despicable behavior by another guard, or come to work late or leave early. Stanford Prison Experiment – Results

10. A recently graduated Ph.D. entered in the middle of the experiment as a part of the staff. She challenged the experiment leaders based on their ethical responsibility for the consequences and well-being of the young men entrusted to our care as research participants. Stanford Prison Experiment – Results – Cont’d

11. Guards became increasingly aggressive prisoners became passive and depressed. Guards became increasingly aggressive prisoners became passive and depressed. Four prisoners developed rashes, crying, trembling and acute anxiety by 2nd day. Four prisoners developed rashes, crying, trembling and acute anxiety by 2nd day. The most hostile guards became leaders and role models for the ‘other’ guards. The most hostile guards became leaders and role models for the ‘other’ guards. The experiment was called off after only 6 days. Too many normal young men were behaving pathologically as powerless prisoners or as sadistic, all-powerful guards. Stanford Prison Experiment – Results – Cont’d

12. Post-Experiment Interviews with Prisoner 416 and Guard "John Wayne" Later, Dr. Zimbardo interviewed the prisoners and guards about their experiences. Here prisoner 416 and the guard who tried to punish him are interviewed. Later, Dr. Zimbardo interviewed the prisoners and guards about their experiences. Here prisoner 416 and the guard who tried to punish him are interviewed.

13. Post-Experiment Interview with Prisoner 8612 Prisoner 8612, who had been released from the prison early, became a prison psychologist. Here he talks about what he learned. Prisoner 8612, who had been released from the prison early, became a prison psychologist. Here he talks about what he learned.

14. Zimbardo concluded… The illusion of ‘power’ had become real. The illusion of ‘power’ had become real. Both Prisoners and Guards identified with & conformed to their allocated social role. Both Prisoners and Guards identified with & conformed to their allocated social role. The situation that people are in determines how they behave. The situation that people are in determines how they behave. This implies that people have no free will, that people cannot choose NOT to act in accordance with their assigned social role. This implies that people have no free will, that people cannot choose NOT to act in accordance with their assigned social role.

15. Good people can be induced, seduced, initiated into behaving in evil (irrational, Stupid, self-destructive, antisocial) ways by immersion in “total situations.” That can transform human nature in ways that challenge our sense of the stability and consistency of individual personality, character, and morality. (Nazi concentration camp guards, cults, genocidal atrocities – Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Burundi, others.) Lesson from the SPE

16. Despite the artificiality of controlled experimental research such as the SPE, the research is conducted in a way that captures essential features of “mundane realism,” so the results do have considerable generalizability power. From another perspective, the SPE does not tell us anything new about prisons that sociologists and narratives of prisoners have not already revealed about the evils of prison life. What is different is that by virtue of the experimental protocol, we put selected good people, randomly assigned to be either guard or prisoner, and observed the ways in which they were changed for the worse by their daily experiences in an evil place. Lesson from the SPE

17. Stanford Prison Experiment: Criticisms of the experiment Unscientific Unscientific - No scientific controls because it was a field experiment - Small sample size of 24, but really just 1 group so N=1 - Conclusions and observations were subjective Participants acted how they were expected to behave Participants acted how they were expected to behave - Zimbardo gave guards no rules, said they could “create fear” - Zimbardo admitted he was not a neutral observer but acted like a “superintendent” who enabled the bad behavior

18. Was the SPE Ethical? Yes: It followed the guidelines set by and was approved by the Human Subjects Research Review Board. There was no deception. People were informed ahead of time that their rights would be violated. No: People suffered and others were allowed to inflict pain and humiliation on their fellows over an extended period of time. The Ethics of SPE

19. Fraternity Hazing Deaths Abu Ghraib Emotional, Physical, & Sexual Abuse Enron, WorldCom, etc. Genocide (Rwanda, Bosnia, etc.) Apply the Zimbardo Research Today

20. Stanford Prison Experiment: What would you have done? If you were a prisoner, how would you have acted? If you were a prisoner, how would you have acted? If you were a guard, how would you have acted? If you were a guard, how would you have acted? After the study, how do you think the prisoners and guards felt when they saw each other in the same civilian clothes again? After the study, how do you think the prisoners and guards felt when they saw each other in the same civilian clothes again?