1. Zimbardo Prison Study- AICE AS Level Psychology
 “This presentation contains copyrighted material under the educational fair use exemption to the U.S. copyright law”
Zimbardo Prison Study- AICE AS Level Psychology
Lecture 1

2. AICE Psych- Social Psych Unit
A Study of Prisoners and Guards in a Simulated Prison (Haney, Banks, & Zimbardo, 1973)
AICE Psych- Social Psych Unit
Dr. Alper & Mr. Meyers ( )

3. Background to the Study
During the Korean War, POWs were subjected to
brainwashing attempts
UN & US not prepared for this type of warfare and wanted to understand how it was carried out and to what extent it was successful
Dr. Zimbardo asked the Navy to conduct an experiment
investigating the power and pathology of imprisonment
Navy funded it as they (and the
Marines) were interested in
finding out the causes of conflict
between guards and prisoners in
the naval prisons

4. Background to the Study
Traditional thought was that prison situations were based on dispositional attributes of “guard mentality” (sadistic & insensitive) versus “prisoner mentality” (not respecting law & order and possessing aggressive, confrontational outlooks)

5. Background to the Study
Zimbardo was interested in testing this dispositional
hypothesis by demonstrating that the conditions of the
prisons were not a result of the type of individuals
working in and incarcerated in the prisons
Hoped to help the Navy develop training that would
eliminate the ‘deplorable’ conditions in the prisons
Took place August 14-20, 1971

6. Purpose of the Study Study aimed to answer the question:
“Are the state of prisons due to the dispositional or internal attribution of the people in charge of running them (guards)? Or is it the situational or external attributions of the conditions of the prison to blame (physical, social settings or psychological)?”
In other words, are prisons the result of sadistic people becoming guards & low-life prisoners trying to escape OR people (guards/prisoners) playing their roles as socially expected in the given situation?

7. Hypothesis No specific hypothesis was given
“Assignment to the condition of guard or prisoner will result in significantly different reactions on behavioral measures of interaction, emotional measures of mood state and pathology…”

8. Methodology- Approach
Mixed-methods approach
Mostly qualitative data w/some quant data derived from observations, video taping, & audiotape
IV- random assignment as prisoner or guard
DV- behavior of the participant

9. Methodology- Sampling
Recruited male students through a newspaper ad to “participate in a study of prison life” for $15/day for 14 days
75 men responded
All potential Ps received a full psych evaluation
Looked at family background, physical and mental health, prior experiences and attitudinal tendencies with respect to psychopathology and any involvement in crime

10. Methodology- Recruitment

11. Methodology- Sample
24 (22 main & 2 standby) were chosen and judged to be the most physically and mentally stable, most mature, and least involved in antisocial behaviors. 
The participants were described as “normal, healthy male college students who were predominantly middle- class and white.”
Participants did not know each other prior to the study
All from the Stanford area
23 Caucasian & 1 ‘Oriental’

12. Methodology- Site “Prison” built in a basement at Stanford
3 small cells (6ft x 9ft) containing a mattress, sheet, and pillow
Confinement cell (2 x 2 x 7) held in a closet
Several rooms in an adjacent wing of the building were used as guards’ quarters, interview rooms, and a bedroom for the ‘warden’ and ‘superintendent’
Small, enclosed room used as a ‘prison yard’
Video recording equipment was placed
behind an observation screen

13. Methodology- Misc. Ps randomly assigned to prisoner or guard role
Prisoners were to remain in the prison 24 hours a
day for entire study (planned for 14 days)
3 prisoners randomly assigned to each cell (others
on standby)
Guards worked on 3-man, 8-hour shifts and were
allowed to go home

14. Methodology- Participant Roles
For informed consent, contracts were signed
Participants knew they would be giving up some basic
rights and liberties
Zimbardo was the prison superintendent, an
undergrad research assistant would be the warden
Guards were told to they could not use physical
aggression or punishment
Prisoners were told to be at home on ‘standby’ before
the experiment began

15. Methodology- Uniforms
Guards: whistle, police baton, plain khaki shirts and trousers, reflective sunglasses
Prisoners: loose muslin smocks with an ID number on front and back, no underwear, rubber sandals, and nylon stocking caps. Light chain around one ankle for authenticity (not allowed to bring in any personal items)

16. Video 1 Review Cues
Cue 1: (a) Describe the IV of the Zimbardo prison simulation. [2]
(b) Describe the DV of the Zimbardo prison simulation. [2]
Cue 2: The Zimbardo study utilized the self-selecting methodology for acquiring participants.
(a) What apparatus was utilized for recruiting participants? [2]
(b) What is one disadvantage of the self-selecting methodology? [2]
Cue 3: Describe two characteristics of the sample of the Zimbardo prison simulation. [2]
Cue 4: (Refer to Article itself) In the HBZ prison simulation, Ps were assigned to roles as either a guard or prisoner.
(a) Describe the ‘role instructions’ of the prisoners [4].
(b) Describe the ‘role instructions’ of the guards. [4]
Cue 5: (a) Describe two features of the guards uniforms [2]
(b) Describe two features of the prisoners uniforms [2].

17. HBZ Prison Study- AICE AS Level Psychology
 “This presentation contains copyrighted material under the educational fair use exemption to the U.S. copyright law”
HBZ Prison Study- AICE AS Level Psychology
Lecture 2

18. Induction Procedure
‘Prisoners’ were arrested by the Palo Alto police department at their homes (they were unaware of this)
Ps were officially charged with suspected burglary or
armed robbery, read their rights, handcuffed and taken to police station, fingerprinted and placed in holding cell
Blindfolded and driven to the mock prison
They were stripped, deloused (with deodorant), made to
stand alone and naked in a cell yard, then given a
uniform, mug shot taken, placed in a cell, and ordered
to stay quiet
Prisoners were referred to by number
only, never names

19. Induction Procedure Each day, prisoners were supposed to have
3 meals
3 supervised potty visits
2 hours of reading/letter writing
Also given work assignments
Lineups to go over their ID & rules 3 times a day

20. Results/Findings Overall, the study showed that
the behavior of the ‘normal’ students
was affected by the role they had been assigned
Ps started to believe in their assigned positions
Supports situational over dispositional hypothesis
Both roles show a marked tendency toward increased negative emotions

21. Results/Findings The experiment had to be stopped after 6 days
Mostly b/c of the unforeseen reactions of the participants
Five prisoners had to be released earlier
Showed signs of extreme emotional depression
Though guards & prisoners were free to engage in any form of interaction, the nature of their encounters tended to be negative, hostile, insulting, and dehumanizing (more on this later)
The prison was internalized by Ps

22. Results/Findings When the study ended… most prisoners were happy
most guards seemed to be distressed
‘upset’ about giving up their control & power which they exercised
Zimbardo calls this ‘pathology of power’
blamed the guards’ behavior on the power that they wielded over the prisoners &
that they were not responsible
for their actions

23. Results/Findings Guards reported for work on time
and often voluntarily stayed later
All guards admitted to enjoying the
role of extreme power and control exercised
over the prisoners
Sometimes when out of recording range, prisoner harassment was even worse
Majority of talk regarded the prisoners and prison (situation) rarely sharing
personal information.

24. Video 2 Review Cues
Cue 6: Summarize the induction process of the prisoners in the Zimbardo prison simulation. [4]
Cue 7: Some ‘guards’ of HBZ were said to have taken their roles ‘too far’ during the simulation.
(a) Identify two instances of the guards ‘abusing their role’ when interacting with the prisoners. [2]
(b) Describe how some prisoners reacted to this ‘abuse of power’ by the guards. [2]
Cue 8: (Article itself) One of the main
findings of the HBZ study is the
theory of ‘pathology of power.’
Summarize this theory. [4]

25. HBZ Prison Study- AICE AS Level Psychology
 “This presentation contains copyrighted material under the educational fair use exemption to the U.S. copyright law”
HBZ Prison Study- AICE AS Level Psychology
Lecture 3

26. Discussion
Zimbardo believes that the study demonstrated the powerful effect that roles can have on one’s behavior
Two new concepts generated from study
‘Pathology of Power’ (as discussed)
‘Pathological Prisoner Syndrome’- helps to explain the social deterioration of prisoners with the notion that some will rebel at first while
many will soon turn against the
troublemakers and will conform to
the helpless prisoner persona

27. Discussion Pathological Prisoner Syndrome based on:
Loss of personal identity (stripped of name, belongings, sense of self, living with unknown people, & became ‘de- individualized’ to themselves and the guards)
Arbitrary control (guards changed the rules while playing the game & sense of learned helplessness displayed)
Dependency & Emasculation (prisoners made to be completely dependent on guards for everything [even potty break], smocks w/o undies
allowed, in debriefing prisoners even
suggested that they were ‘made’
prisoners b/c they were smaller than the
guards but there was no height diff)

28. Evaluation & Ethical Considerations
Major critique is ethics of study
though H, B, & Z received permission from 2 Stanford review boards AND the Naval Research board
The only deception was the unknown arrest of the
prisoners (it also violated the contract they signed)
Right to withdraw- no specific RTW was offered to Ps
(though Zimbardo’s said it was)
Harm & Debriefing- Extensive group and individual debriefing sessions were held and all
Ps returned post-experimental
questionnaires after several weeks,
then several months later, then at
yearly intervals

29. Evaluation & Ethical Considerations
Strengths of the Study
1. Qual data collection- observations (overt & covert), questionnaires, interviews, video evidence, etc.
2. Managed to maintain methodological control
3. Random assignment of guard or prisoner
4. Ecological validity in how prisoners
were ‘arrested’
5. Experimental realism

30. Evaluation & Ethical Considerations
Weaknesses of the study
1. Non-representative sample
2. Ecological validity- simulated prison not realistic, lacked ‘prison life’ (beatings, threats, homosexuality, racism, etc), 2 week sentence not given out in real life
But it was real enough… qual data showed that prisoners spoke 90% about prison conditions & guards did similar, prisoners refer to their # instead of name and some even asked for a lawyer and/or priest to help them
3. Zimbardo said the distress shown by Ps was outweighed by the benefits gained in
understanding human behavior &
how we can improve it in given
situations

31. Influence of the Study
Along with Milgram study, was one of the main reasons that new ethical guidelines were established
Researchers must now comply with standards established by the Ethics Code of the APA & the Belmont Report
Often used as basis for ‘power of authority’ and cognitive dissonance studies
Another “win” for situational attributes rather than dispositional ones

32. Extra Stuff
Zimbardo ended the study on the 6th day at the request of Christina Maslach- a grad student who was the ONLY one to question the morality of the simulation
She was certainly able to convince him- after all, she was DATING & later MARRIED him!

33. Extra Stuff
After prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib in 2004, Zimbardo joined the defense team
“The torture of detainees by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq was the tragic result of perceived anonymity, the absence of a sense of personal responsibility and tacit approval by military commanders, factors that have been shown in experiments to make good people do evil.”
Defense didn’t matter- soldiers still lost

34. Video 3 Review Cues
Cue 9: Zimbardo concluded that the ‘prisoners’ in the study showed signs of what he termed ‘pathological prisoner syndrome.’ Identify and explain each of these factors, including how the guards created these amongst the prisoners. [9 (3 points each factor)]
Cue 10: (a) Discuss two strengths study. [4]
(b) Discuss two weaknesses of the study. [4]
Cue 11: Describe two ethical weaknesses of the study. [4]