...The Stanford Prison Experiment was a landmark psychological study of the human response to captivity, in particular, to the real world circumstances of prison life. Subjects were randomly assigned to play the role of "prisoner" or "guard". Those assigned to play the role of guard were given sticks and sunglasses; those assigned to play the prisoner role were arrested by the Palo Alto police department, deloused, forced to wear chains and prison garments, and transported to the basement of the Stanford psychology department, which had been converted into a sort of jail. What was the lesson learned from Zimbardo’s (1971) Stanford Prison experiment about the influence of social roles on an individual’s behavior? Several of the guards became progressively more sadistic — particularly at night when they thought the cameras were off, despite being picked by chance out of the same pool as the prisoners. The experiment very quickly got out of hand. A riot broke out on day two. One prisoner developed a psychosomatic rash all over his body upon finding out that his "parole" had been turned down. After only 6 days (of a planned two weeks), the experiment was shut down, for fear that one of the prisoners would be seriously hurt. Although the intent of the experiment was to examine captivity, its result has been used to demonstrate the impressionability and obedience of people when provided with a legitimizing ideology and social and institutional support. It is also used to illustrate cognitive...
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...psychological research of the Stanford Prison Experiment conducted at Stanford University in 1971. Ethics will be defined and the concept of risk/benefit ratio will be discussed. The Stanford Prison Experiment will be described. Finally, the impact of the Stanford Prison Experiment on psychological research will be evaluated. Ethics Defined Ethics is concerned with the principles of right conduct. In the philosophical use, ethics is a branch of philosophy that is concerned with the study of morals and how it is that moral decisions are made. Ethics also has a stricter use when dealing with the rules or standards that govern conduct and right behavior (The American Heritage Dictionary, 2000). Risk/Benefit Ratio Ethical approaches to research take into account the risk/benefit ratio. This simply means that the amount of benefit that comes from a study or research clearly outweighs any adverse risks to the subjects involved in the study or research. A study or research is only considered to be ethical if there is favorable risk benefit ratio (Wikipedia, 2008). Background on the Stanford Prison Experiment The Stanford Prison Experiment was created by Professor Philip Zimbardo who led a team of researchers at Stanford University in 1971. The study was designed to observe and study the human responses to captivity by both the inmates and the authority figures. In order to carry out the experiment, a mock prison was created in the basement of the Stanford psychology building and 24...
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...AP Psychology, Mr. Kujawa Analysis Writing--Stanford Prison Experiment 13 minutes--www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZwfNs1pqG0 29 minutes--www.youtube.com/watch?v=760lwYmpXbchttp 01. Consider the psychological consequences of stripping, delousing, and shaving the heads of prisoners or members of the military. What transformations take place when people go through this experience? 02. What are the effects of living in an environment with no clocks, no view of the outside world, and minimal sensory stimulation? 03. Compare the reactions of the visitors to the reactions of civilians in encounters with the police or other authorities. 04. What factors would lead prisoners to attribute guard brutality to the their disposition or character, rather than to the situation? 05. How and why did #8612, #819, and #416 break down emotionally? Do you think young adults from an urban class environment would have reacted in similar fashion as middle-class prisoners? Why or why not? Do you think women would have broken down emotionally in the same way as the middle-class prisoners? Why or why not? 06. What prevented “good” from objecting to the orders from the “bad” guards? 07. What were the dangers of the principal investigator assuming the role of prison superintendent? the former convict as head of the Parole Board? 08. Explain why it was and why it was not ethical to conduct this study. Was it worth to trade the suffering experienced by participants for the knowledge gained by the research? 09. In...
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...(1973). Interpersonal dynamics in a simulated prison. International Journal of Criminology and Penology, 1, 69-97. “Suppose you had kids who were normally healthy, psychologically and physically, and they knew they would be going into a prison-like environment and that some of their civil rights would be sacrificed. Would those good people, put in that bad, evil place – would their goodness triumph?” Zimbargo Cognitive dissonance is the unconfortable feeling or stress caused by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously. The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a fundamental cognitive drive to reduce this dissonance by modifying an existing belief, or rejecting one of the contradictory ideas. In 1971, psychologist Philip Zimbardo and his colleagues set out to create an experiment that looked at the impact of becoming a prisoner or prison guard. Zambardo, a former classmate of Stanley Milgram (Obedience experiment) was interested in expanding upon Milgram’s research. He wanted to further investigate the impact of situational variables on human behavior. That led Zimbardo to explore the psychological effect of becoming a prison guard or prisoner. The experiment took place in Stanford University, California, and there was 24 male participants. The participants we predominantly white and middle-class. There were originally 70 volunteers, but Zimbardo picked the 24 “most psychologically stable and healthy”. The “prison” was mock, and constructed in the basement...
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...are the products of the technological environment and the end-user is society in general. The excerpt was stated by Josefina Estolas in the book Fundamentals of Research (1995). Science and technology are essential for national development and progress. The State shall give priority to research and development, invention, and their utilization, and to science and technology education according to the 1987 Philippine Constitution (Article XIV, Section 10). Since computer power was the critical resource, efficiency of processing became the main goal. Emphasis was placed on automating existing process such as purchasing or paying, often within single department as indicated by Jeffrey A. Hofer on Modern System Analysis and Design (1996). A major purpose of a database system is to provide users with an abstract view of data. That is the system hides certain details of how the data are stored and maintained as stated by Abraham Silberschatz, Database System Concepts (1999). A database is an organized collection of facts and information. An organizations database can contain facts and information on customers, employees, inventory, competitors, sales information and much more. Most Managers and executive...
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...Questioning Authority: A Rethinking of the Infamous Milgram Experiments By Liliana Segura, AlterNet Posted on February 12, 2009 Between 1963 and 1974, Dr. Stanley Milgram conducted a series of experiments that would become one of the most famous social psychology studies of the 20th century. His focus was how average people respond to authority, and what he revealed stunned and disturbed people the world over. Under the pretense of an experiment on "learning" and "memory," Milgram placed test subjects in a lab rigged with fake gadgetry, where a man in a lab coat instructed them to administer electrical shocks to a fellow test subject (actually an actor) seated in another room in "a kind of miniature electric chair." Participants were told they were the "teachers" in the scenario and given a list of questions with which to quiz their counterparts (the "learners"). If the respondent answered incorrectly to a question, he got an electric shock as punishment. The shocks were light at first -- 15 volts -- and became stronger incrementally, until they reached 450 volts -a level labeled "Danger: Severe Shock." The actors were never actually electrocuted, but they pretended they were. They groaned, shouted, and, as the current became stronger, begged for relief. Meanwhile, the man in the lab coat coolly told the test subjects to keep going. To people's horror, Milgram discovered that a solid majority of his subjects -- roughly two-thirds -- were willing to administer the highest levels...
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...investigation at any time and be assured of confidentiality. However, in some cases these rules can not be fully complied with and only after safeguards have been put in place, especially for children or those that have a disability, can deviation from the guidelines take place. However, there will always be conflict between participants and psychologists needs or expectations of the experiment. In some experimental situations the participant will not be fully informed of what they are taking part in so the psychologist can achieve a non-biased outcome from the results. This could be classed as harmful to the participants as the outcome of being deceived could lead to psychological harm. In Milgram’s (1963 cited in Hill, 2001 p24) study participants took part in the obedience to authority experiment. At this time the ethical guidelines were not as strict and this has brought outrage to some of his critics, Baumrind (1964) in particular is extremely critical of his approach and outcome of the experiment. Baumrind (1964) argued that the participants were not protected from harm throughout the experiment and they did not have fully informed consent. Her concerns were that the participants could have been psychology affected long term and the end result does not justify the means. She also implied that the participants were forced by the experimenter to shock the confederate; this was not the case as the participants were free to leave at any time....
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...I chose to write about the ethics of the Stanford Prison Experiment led by psychologist Philip Zimbardo. I think a number of factors in this study would not pass current ethical standards set by the American Psychological Association (APA). The first is I believe that even though all of the participants of the study were given informed consent before the start of the experiment, I don’t believe that the subjects were aware of the physical and mental humiliation that they would have to endure during its course. At the very start, the subjects were taken from in front of their homes in front of neighbors by armed police officers. They were then taken to the prison blindfolded and made to strip down naked in a degrading manner in order to purposely humiliate them. They shaved their heads in order to take away any of the prisoners personal identity. I think there was also great deception on behalf of the researchers when the participants’ families came to visit them. The guards cleaned the cells, clean shaved the prisoners, fed them a large meal and played music over the loud speakers to make the visitor blind of the real situation. This manipulation shows that Dr. Zimbardo knew that the physical conditions of the prison were unsanitary and could have posed a health risk, and that the treatment of the prisoners was in fact un-ethical. According to this website http://www.simplypsychology.org/zimbardo.html Zimbardo claimed that he could have not predicted that any of these things could...
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...The Prison of Marriage Each morning that we wake up, life presents us with many choices. Some people are conscious of these choices, others are not. Whether one is a college student in search of a major or the man in line at a deli, the opportunity for decision seems solely one’s own. However, the surrounding factors of that person’s life will inevitably affect the decision at hand. Often, without knowing it, we are placed in a role that life, in general, expects us to fulfill. Once we find ourselves in a role, it is difficult to displace ourselves from it, and as a result, we rely on this role to aid us in our decisions. Professor of psychology Philip K. Zimbardo finds that people are obedient in accepting roles assigned by others. Zimbardo’s “Stanford Prison Experiment” discusses male college students placed in a prison experiment and assigned the role of either “prisoner” of “guard.” Zimbardo claims to have “sought to understand more about the process by which people called ‘prisoners’ lose their liberty, civil rights, independence and privacy, while those called ‘guards’ gain social power by accepting the responsibility for controlling and managing the lives of their dependent charges” (365). Zimbardo concludes that the roles of guard and prisoner can be seen in many realms of life. Zimbardo suggests that sexism, racism, and shyness are, for many people, prisons of the mind. Furthermore, Zimbardo feels that marriage can be described as a prison: The physical institution...
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...But how does this need affect an individual? Social psychologists have conducted numerous experiments and concluded that, through various forms of social influence, groups can change their members' thoughts, feelings, and behavior. In her essay "Group Minds," Doris Lessing discusses our paradoxical ability to call ourselves individuals and our inability to realize that groups define and influence us. We, as humans, hold individualism in the highest regard yet fail to realize that groups diminish our individuality. Lessing writes, "when we're in a group, we tend to think as that group does... but we also find our thinking changing because we belong to a group" (p. 334). Groups have the tendency to generate norms, or standards for behavior in certain situations. Not following these norms can make you stand out and, therefore, groups have the ability to influence our thoughts and actions in ways that are consistent with the groups'. Lessing's essay helps set the context to understand the experiments that social psychologists Solomon Asch, Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo conducted to explain conformity and obedience. Solomon Asch's experiment in "Opinions and Social Pressure" studied a subject's ability to yield to social pressure when placed within a group of strangers. His research helped illustrate how groups encourage conformity. During a typical experiment, members of the group were asked by the experimenter to claim two obvious mismatched lines...
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...Written Response Questions: The Stafford prison experiment video on YouTube 1. Upon watching the documentary about the Stanford Prison Experiment, what is your first reaction? Answer: After watching the Stanford Prison Experiment, I was completely shocked. First, I was amazed that such an experiment of putting normal people in a fake jail was even ever considered. Secondly, I was even more shocked that college students would volunteer for such a wild experiment with as little pay that was offered. All of it seemed very strange to me. 2. Why did we watch this documentary? Learning about the Stanford Prison Experiment should make you a better manager. Identify at least 3 ways in which your thinking and/or learning were altered after watching the film. Answer: I believe we watched this documentary to help understand that negative organizational culture can have a big impact on those who are a part of it. The first thing I learned from the video is that a manager with the highest authority is ultimately responsible for the creation of the organizations culture. If they use this power in a negative way, whether they realize it or not, this can have second and third order affects that hurt everyone. Secondly, as a manger, do not loose sight of the big picture and what the ultimate goal of the organization is. In the video, Dr. Zimbardo lost touch what was important to the experiment and became too involved. He was involved to such an extent that he believed other...
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...are so prevalent in society. Are all people capable of committing crimes of obedience given the right situation? Is there a certain disposition or combination of personality traits that leads to crimes of obedience? Situations are unique and dispositions vary; attempting to distinguish what causes these occurrences is a complex task that has been the subject of numerous studies, yet no concrete answers are found. Stanley Milgram’s obedience experiments ignited the flame of a subject that, instead of diminishing over time and becoming obsolete as a result of improved methods and new ideologies, has remained at the forefront of social and behavioral psychology. Modern research faces the critical challenge of attempting to study obedience under much more restrictive guidelines than previous studies; the results that are produced can only hope to shed light on one component of obedience and use other studies to synthesize a more complete explanation. The predecessor to all of this modern research was the Milgram obedience experiment and all of its variations. It has remained a fixture of social psychology for so long for several reasons: the enormity of the results (65% of a normal population of American men is willing to administer dangerous shocks to innocent learners), its magnitude (over 1000 people tested in 18 variations), its clarity in defining how situation influences the obedience of participants, and the questions it raised about ethics in experimental methods...
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...Achieve Goals Set by Managers C. How Goals Combined with Rewards Can Encourage Unethical Behavior D. Practical Advice for Managers: Goals, Rewards, and Discipline E. Recognize the Power of Indirect Rewards and Punishments F. Can Managers Really Reward Ethical Behavior? G. What about the Role of Discipline? H. Practical Advice for Managers: Discipline V. “Everyone’s Doing It” A. People Follow Group Norms B. Rationalizing Unethical Behavior C. Practical Advice for Managers: Group Norms VI. People Fulfill Assigned Roles A. The Zimbardo Prison Experiment B. Roles at Work C. Conflicting Roles can Lead to Unethical Behavior D. Roles Can Also Support Ethical Behavior E. Practical Advice for Managers: Roles VII. People Do What They are Told A. The Milgram Experiments B. Obedience to Authority at Work C. Practical Advice for Managers: Obedience to Authority VIII. Responsibility Is Diffused in Organizations A. “Don’t Worry – We’re Taking Care of Everything” B. Diffusing Responsibility in Groups C....
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...and how deeply ingrained of a behavior tendency that it is. He then sets up an experiment at Yale University that will push the limits of human obedience. He has a “teacher” give out a series of simple word pairs for the “learner”. If the learner gets a word pair wrong then the teacher gives out a series of shock ranging from 15 to 450 volts. The teacher who is the real subject in the experiment does not know that the learner is a paid actor who does not receive any actual shocks. The motivation behind this experiment for Milgram was to test just how far people would go to obey the command of an authority figure. Milgram’s theory is that the subject will have total control of what they are doing and will disobey the authority figure when inflicting pain onto a hopeless human being. One of his subjects, Gretchen Brandt, is participating with the experiment when the learner got the word pair wrong she showed the self control to stop shocking to not continue. Milgram thought that this is how the majority of subjects would react, “Her behavior is the very embodiment of what I envisioned would be true for almost all subject”(Milgram, 44). Brandt simply wasn’t worried about rejecting the authority if it meant that she no longer would have to shock the subject again. The next subject that Milgram includes in his essay is an ordinary unemployed man named Fred Prozi. Prozi continues with the experiment as told until her got up to 195 volts, at this point the learner was no longer answering...
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...Erin Rubendall Stanford Prison Experiment Introduction The Stanford Prison Experiment was led by Philip Zimbardo and his team of researchers in August 1971. Their hypothesis was to inherent personality traits of prisoners and for the guards to be a chief cause of abusive behavior in prison (Zimbardo.) Zimbardo acted as the superintendent who allowed the abuse to continue while his colleague acted as the warden. Zimbardo picked 24 out of 75 male students that were psychologically stable to take place in his experiment. The men were predominantly middle class and received $15 a day to participate in the experiment. He randomly assigned each male a role of either a prisoner or guard. Zimbardo and his team of researchers turned the basement of a Stanford building into a mock prison aiming for the experiment to last for 7- 14 days. The experiment was intended to induce disorientation, depersonalization, and deindividualization for the prisoners. The day before the experiment started, Zimbardo held an orientation for the guards explaining they were not allowed to physically harm the prisoners. Zimbardo stated, “You can create in the prisoners’ feelings of boredom, a sense of fear to some degree, you can create a notion of arbitrariness that their life is totally controlled by us, by the system, you, me, and they'll have no privacy… We're going to take away their individuality in various ways. In general what all this leads to is a sense of powerlessness. That is, in this situation...
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