Phillip Zimbardo Stanford Prison Experiment

Volunteers More than 70 applicants answered ad & were given interviews & personality tests to eliminate candidates w/ psychological problems, medical disabilities, or a history of crime or drug abuse. Sample was 24 college students

Arrival prisoners were then brought into our jail one at a time and greeted by the warden, who conveyed the seriousness of their offense and their new status as prisoners. Suspects were picked up at home by a police officer

Guards All guards were dressed in identical uniforms of khaki, and they carried a whistle around their neck and a billy club borrowed from the police.

Rebellion Because the first day passed without incident, we were surprised and totally unprepared for the rebellion which broke out on the morning of the second day.

Rebellion’s effect The prisoners' rebellion also played an important role in producing greater solidarity among the guards.

Prisoner 8612 is removed He took on the role of the crazy person and the role became too real. He is dismissed from the experiment after 36 hours.

Privileges Removed Even going to the toilet became a privilege which a guard could grant or deny at his whim. Indeed, after the nightly 10:00 P.M. lights out "lock-up," prisoners were often forced to urinate or defecate in a bucket that was left in their cell.

Prisoner 819 Prisoner 819 didn’t want to speak to the priest. Later he gave in and decided to speak to him. (upon leaving…) “Prisoner 819 did a bad thing. Prisoner #819 is a bad prisoner. Because of what Prisoner #819 did, my cell is a mess, Mr. Correctional Officer."

Types of Guards There were three types of guards. – Tough but fair – Good guys – Sadistic

Prisoner Switch 819 to 416 Prisoner 819 was excused from the experiment and 416 replaced him. Prisoner 416 became known for his hunger strikes.

Experiment Terminated Early At this point it became clear that we had to end the study. We had created an overwhelmingly powerful situation -- a situation in which prisoners were withdrawing and behaving in pathological ways, and in which some of the guards were behaving sadistically.

Effects of the Experiment Our study was terminated on August 20, Less than one month later, prisons made more news when a riot erupted at Attica Prison in New York. One of the major demands of the prisoners at Attica was that they be treated like human beings.

Ethical? What are the applications of Zimbardo’s study? At what point would you have stopped the experiment?

Response: There were 3 types of guards in this study. What type of guard do you think you would be? Explain ½ page. 3 types of guards: 1.Nice guard (does small favors for the prisoners) 2.Tough but fair guards. 3.Sadistic guards