The Stanford prison experiment was a study of the psychological effects of becoming a prisoner or a prison guard. It was conducted by Philip Zimbardo at Stanford University in 1971.

Participants

The experiment involved 24 male college students who were randomly assigned to be either a prisoner or a guard. The prisoners were locked up in a mock prison that was set up in the basement of the psychology building. The guards were given uniforms and billy clubs and were instructed to maintain order and discipline.

Procedure

The experiment was scheduled to last for two weeks, but it was terminated after only six days due to the extreme psychological distress that the prisoners were experiencing.

During the experiment, the guards became increasingly abusive and the prisoners became increasingly submissive. The guards began to use physical punishment and verbal abuse to control the prisoners. They also began to play mind games with the prisoners, such as making them stand for hours on end or forcing them to clean the toilets with their bare hands.

The prisoners, on the other hand, became increasingly depressed and anxious. They began to withdraw from each other and they stopped talking. Some of the prisoners even began to hallucinate.

Results

The Stanford prison experiment showed that ordinary people can be easily manipulated into becoming either oppressors or victims. The experiment also showed that the environment can have a profound effect on human behavior.

Conclusion

The Stanford prison experiment is a reminder of the importance of ethics in research. It also shows that we should be careful not to allow ourselves to be swept up in the power of authority.