One of the first human experiment

1. Stanford Prison Experiment
CJ-490-01 Research Methods In Criminal Justice
Unit 7 Assignment
By: Victoria A Pulido
October 14, 2014

2. The Stanford Prison Experiment degenerated very quickly and the dark and
inhuman side of human nature became apparent very quickly
Zimbardo, acting as a prison warden, would be able to observe and make notes about what happened during the course of the study.

3. Purpose of the Stanford Prison Study
Exploratory Descriptive Explanatory
Ethical Combination

4. Exploratory reasoning
Zimbardo tried to show that prison guards and convicts would ten to
slip into predefined roles, behaving in a way that they thought was
required, rather then using their own judgment and morals.
Zimbardo was trying to show what happened when all of the
individuality and dignity was stripped away from a human being and
their life was completely controlled.
He wanted to show the dehumanization and loosening of social and
moral values that can happen to guards immersed in such intense
situations.
Zimbardo proved that human behavior can and does change within
the environment they are exposed to. Whether it be positive or
negative.

5. Simulated Prison Environment
The Participants
 The researchers set up a mock prison in the
basement of Stanford University’s psychology
building, and then selected 24 undergraduate
students to play the roles of both prisoners and
guards. The group of 70 volunteers had no
criminal background, lacked psychological
issues and had no major medical conditions.
The volunteers agreed to participate for a one
to two week period in exchange for $15.00 a
day. (www.psychology.about.com)
The Setting and Procedures
 The simulated prisons included three six by
nine foot prison cells. Each cell held three
prisoners and included three cots. Other
rooms across from the cells were utilized for
the prison guards and warden. One very
small space was designated as the solitary
confinement room, and yet another small
room served as the prison yard.
(www.psychology.about.com)

6. Descriptive Groups
The group selected to be the guards were outfitted in “military style”
intimidating uniforms. They were also equipped with wooden batons
and mirrored shades, to prevent eye contact and make the guards
appear less human.
In an initiation meeting, Zimbardo, who acted as the warden for the
duration of the experiment, informed the guards that the only rule
was that no physical punishment was allowed. Other than that the
guards were to run the prison as the saw fit, and would be divided
into regular working shifts and patterns.
Prisoners, by contrast, were dressed in cheap smocks and were
allowed no underwear. They were to be addressed by and answer to,
identity numbers only. They also had a small chain around one ankle
to remind them that they were inmates in a correctional facility.

7. Question of Ethical Behavior
To what extreme should an experiment
exceed the study and research
 Standard prisoner counts and roll call became a
trial of ordeal and ritual humiliation for the
prisoners, with forced exercise and physical
punishments becoming more and more
common. Mattresses were confiscated from the
prisoners and they were forced to sleep on cold
hard floors. Toilet facilities became a privilege
instead of a basic human right with access to
the bathroom being frequently denied, the
inmates often had to clean the toilet facilities
with their bare hands. (www.explorable.com)
Ritual of Humiliation

8. Criticisms
 The ethics of the Stanford Prison Experiment
have long been called into question and
certainly, without stricter controls this
experiment would not be sanctioned today, it
could pose a genuine risk to people
disposed towards mental and emotional
imbalances.
 Other criticisms include the validity of the
results. It was a field experiment, rather than
a scientific experiment, so there are only
observational results and no scientific
evaluations.

9. Conclusion
The Stanford Prison Experiment is frequently cited as an example of unethical research. The experiment could not be replicated by researchers today
because it fails to the standards established by numerous ethical codes including the Ethics Code of the American Psychological Association. Zimbardo
acknowledges the ethical problems with the study, suggesting that “although we ended the study a week earlier than planned, we did not end it soon
enough. Despite some of the criticism, the Stanford Prison Experiment remains an important study in our understanding of how the situation can
influence human behavior. The study recently garnered attention after reports of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuses in Iraq became known. Zimbardo
himself, suggest that the abuses at Abu Ghraib might be real world examples of the same results observed in Zimbardo’s experiment.
(www.psychology.about.com)

10. References
 Explorable Psychology Experiments; Stanford Prison Experiment; Martyn Shuttleworth;
www.explorable.com/Stanford-prison-experiment
 The Stanford Prison Experiment; An Experiment in the Psychology of Imprisonment; By Kendra
Cherry Psychology Expert; www.psychology.about.com