Psychology The Stanford Prison Experiment

What happened to Prisoner #819?

-Eventually while talking to the priest, #819 broke down and began to cry hysterically, just two previously released prisoners had. The psychologists removed the chain from his foot, the cap off his head, and told him to go and rest in a room that was adjacent to the prison yard. They told him they would get him some food and then take him to see a doctor. -While this was going on, one of the guards lined up the other prisoners and had them chant aloud: "Prisoner #819 is a bad prisoner. Because of what Prisoner #819 did, my cell is a mess, Mr. Correctional Officer." -The psychologists realized #819 could hear the chanting and went back into the room where they found him sobbing uncontrollably. The psychologists tried to get him to agree to leave the experiment, but he said he could not leave because the others had labeled him a bad prisoner. -At that point, Zimbardo said, "Listen, you are not #819. You are [his name], and my name is Dr. Zimbardo. I am a psychologist, not a prison superintendent, and this is not a real prison. This is just an experiment, and those are students, not prisoners, just like you. Let's go." He stopped crying suddenly, looked up, and replied, "Okay, let's go," as if nothing had been wrong.

What were the consequences of the rebellion?

-Over the next few days, the relationships between the guards and the prisoners changed, with a change in one leading to a change in the other. Remember that the guards were firmly in control and the prisoners were totally dependent on them. -As the prisoners became more dependent, the guards became more derisive towards them. They held the prisoners in contempt and let the prisoners know it. As the guards' contempt for them grew, the prisoners became more submissive. -As the prisoners became more submissive, the guards became more aggressive and assertive. They demanded ever greater obedience from the prisoners. The prisoners were dependent on the guards for everything so tried to find ways to please the guards, such as telling tales about fellow prisoners

How much were the participants paid daily to take part in this experiment?

15 Dollars

What year was the study conducted?

1973

How many participants were in the Stanford Prison Experiment?

24

What happened on the second day of the Stanford Prison Experiment?

A Prisoner's Rebellion

Who was brought in to conduct interviews with the guards and prisoners?

Christina Maslach, a recent Stanford Ph.D.

What did Zimbardo say influenced the behavior of the guards?

Deindividuation may explain the behavior of the participants; especially the guards.

How did Ms. Maslach react to the experiment?

Filled with outrage, she said, "It's terrible what you are doing to these boys!" Out of 50 or more outsiders who had seen our prison, she was the only one who ever questioned its morality.

What did Zimbardo say could explain the prisoner's submission to the guards?

Learned Helplessness

What happened to Prisoner #8612?

Less than 36 hours into the experiment, Prisoner #8612 began suffering from acute emotional disturbance, disorganized thinking, uncontrollable crying, and rage. After a meeting with the guards where they told him he was weak, but offered him "informant" status, #8612 returned to the other prisoners and said "You can't leave. You can't quit." Soon #8612 "began to act 'crazy,' to scream, to curse, to go into a rage that seemed out of control." It wasn't until this point that the psychologists realized they had to let him out.

What were the privileges of the prisoners that were least involved in the rebellion?

One of the three cells was designated as a "privilege cell." The three prisoners least involved in the rebellion were given special privileges. The guards gave them back their uniforms and beds and allowed them to wash their hair and brush their teeth. Privileged prisoners also got to eat special food in the presence of the other prisoners who had temporarily lost the privilege of eating.

What was the effect of the "privilege" cell?

The effect was to break the solidarity among prisoners.

How did the guards react to the rebellion?

The guards retaliated by using a fire extinguisher which shot a stream of skin-chilling carbon dioxide, and they forced the prisoners away from the doors. Next, the guards broke into each cell, stripped the prisoners naked and took the beds out. The ringleaders of the prisoner rebellion were placed into solitary confinement. After this, the guards generally began to harass and intimidate the prisoners.

What is learned helplessness?

The prisoners learned that whatever they did had little effect on what happened to them. In the mock prison the unpredictable decisions of the guards led the prisoners to give up responding.

What was the purpose of ID Numbers in Zimbardo's experiment?

The use of ID numbers was a way to make prisoners feel anonymous. Each prisoner had to be called only by his ID number and could only refer to himself and the other prisoners by number.

What is deindividuation?

This is a state when you become so immersed in the norms of the group that you lose your sense of identity and personal responsibility.

What was the procedure of the Stanford Prison Experiment?

To study the roles people play in prison situations, Zimbardo converted a basement of the Stanford University psychology building into a mock prison. He advertised asking for volunteers to participate in a study of the psychological effects of prison life. The 75 applicants who answered the ad were given diagnostic interviews and personality tests to eliminate candidates with psychological problems, medical disabilities, or a history of crime or drug abuse.

What were the findings of the Stanford Prison Experiment ?

Within a very short time both guards and prisoners were settling into their new roles, with the guards adopting theirs quickly and easily.

What was the purpose of the Stanford Prison Experiment?

Zimbardo and his colleagues (1973) were interested in finding out whether the brutality reported among guards in American prisons was due to the sadistic personalities of the guards (i.e., dispositional) or had more to do with the prison environment (i.e., situational).

How and why did the experiment end?

Zimbardo had intended that the experiment should run for two weeks, but on the sixth day, it was terminated, due to the emotional breakdowns of prisoners, and excessive aggression of the guards.

What happened with the catholic priest?

imbardo invited a Catholic priest who had been a prison chaplain to evaluate how realistic our prison situation was. Half of the prisoners introduced themselves by their number rather than name. The chaplain interviewed each prisoner individually. The priest told them the only way they would get out was with the help of a lawyer.