The Stanford Prison Experiment

(1971) In this experiment, Zimbardo wanted to know how roles given to people can change their behaviors. The purpose was to find out how the prison environment affects the behavior of the guards and the prisoners. First, a group of 24 college students were separated into two and given a role of either a guard or a prisoner. When choosing these participants, they were carefully chosen to make sure they were both mentally and physically healthy. The "prisoners" were realistically arrested and booked by local police officers. They were also blindfolded, so they had no idea where they were being taken to. Then, heavy chains were placed on their right ankles and they were given prison uniforms. The chains were given to remind the prisoners the oppressiveness of their environment. "Guards" were given khaki uniforms, whistles, and nightsticks and given orders to protect the security of the prison. The experiment took place in the bottom floor of the psychology department of the university, where offices and a closet were turned into prison cells and a solitary confinement. There were no windows or clocks, which caused a time distorting experience in the cells. The hall was videotaped and it was made sure to record everything that went on in that hall. Many "prisoners" suffered from humiliation when they were striped naked and searched. The "guards" often practiced their authorities by waking the "prisoners" up early in the morning and exercise control over prisoners by commanding them what to do. On the second day of the experiment, there were small rebellions caused by the "prisoners", but the "guards" acted swiftly and brutally. "Prisoners" were harassed by the "guards", stuck in solitary confinement, and were not granted permission to even use the bathroom. By the sixth day of the experiment,many of the "prisoners" became too mentally unstable, therefore the experiment had to be terminated before the actual deadline of two weeks. Through this experiment, the psychologists learned that mentally stable, law abiding citizens can lose their sense of self, depending on certain situations. When people are given a specific role, people will conform and change their behavior to fit that role. Til this day, it is unclear on who had the influence in stopping the experiment: the "prisoners" who was involved in the experiment, or the psychologists who were in charge of the experiment.

To learn about this experiment in more detail, click here

Sources: http://www.prisonexp.org/, http://www.spring.org.uk