...Zimbardo Research Paper Dr. Zimbardo conducted a research study in 1971 where he took 24 male college students and divided them randomly between guards and prisoners. The guards created a “prison” like set up for their prisoners. The prisoners were arrested by real cops, blindfolded, hand cuffed and taken to the simulation prison where the guards brutalized, dehumanized, tortured them. The study was to see how behaviors change based upon a setting they were put into. Throughout this paper it will come to light on how unethical this study was but also how it changed the ways in which studies are now required to be handled with human participants (Films Media Group, 2012). Value of the Study in Relation to Social Psychology Dr. Zimbardo’s research study was able to show how healthy participants quickly changed their psychological and physical behaviors when they were placed into a prison like environment. The 24 participants were all good people who were put into a very bad situation where they had to choose to stay good or conform with the environment and do what they felt was rational behavior. This study was to last two weeks and after six days Dr. Zimbardo finally shut it down. This is because the prisoners were showing signs of extreme depression and stress anxiety, while the guards were becoming very abusive, hostile and dehumanizing the prisoners. There were only a few people who were able to not let conformity consume who they really were and destroy their...
Words: 1557 - Pages: 7
...Zimbardo Research Paper Robyn-Lea Gentile University of Pheonix Zimbardo Research Paper Philip Zimbardo is the researcher behind the Stanford Prison Experiment. An experiment that changed the research world of psychology for the better. The Stanford Prison Experiment was a study that consisted of males who wanted to participate in 197, “Ultimately, we were left with a sample of 24 college students from the U.S. and Canada who happened to be in the Stanford area and wanted to earn $15/day by participating in a study” (Zimbardo, 2016). After the males were selected, half of them were going to be a prisoner while the other half were going to be guards, “It is important to remember that at the beginning of our experiment there were no differences between boys assigned to be a prisoner and boys assigned to be a guard” (Zimbardo, 2016). When the prisoners were set to be in the prison environment that was setup then the guards acted as real prisoner guards and went through a booking process for the prisoners. Is is very important to know that, “As with real prisoners, our prisoners expected some harassment, to have their privacy and some of their other civil rights violated while they were in prison, and to get a minimally adequate diet – all part of their informed consent agreement when they volunteered” (Zimbardo, 2016). Although things had seemed to go fine the first day of the experiment, the second day is when everything turned for the worse! The prisoners did not respect...
Words: 866 - Pages: 4
...That is the Question Shanelle L. Todd and Kayla L. Thompson Brenau University Flawed or Not?: That is the Question What if I told you that the US Naval and Marine corporations funded a what they called, “prison experiment” in 1971, with a goal of finding that the prison environment produces aggressive attitudes? Zimbardo conducted this experiment in the basement of the Psychology department at Stanford University. He took regular everyday college students like you and I made some prisoners and some guards, locked them up in a very small area, and evaluated their behaviors. The question is, how were the guards and the prisoners distinguished between? Now this is where the word evil comes in. In order to make the environment a real “evil” environment the guards wore hats and badges while the prisoners wore nothing but frowsy dresses. This was Zimbardo’s bright idea of an evil environment. So, does perception come into play? Does what each person perceives as evil environments make for a trustworthy study, setting out to support such a claim? Ultimately, did Zimbardo adequately reconstruct a fair representation of a true prison setting or did Zimbardo exaggerate that too? Well, according to two documentary professionals, this study did support that evil environments produces evil behaviors stated not only by Ratnesar’s, but also by Sheere. The funding corporations were kept a secret from the general public for more than 20 years. Just recently on July 4, 2011 a man...
Words: 3220 - Pages: 13
...This paper will examine the ethical implications on 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...
Words: 1077 - Pages: 5
...of establishment of ethical principles within their research. Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment and Milgram’s Obedience experiment were ridiculed for the lack of ethics involved. Although these experiments caused unnecessary harm to their subjects they also acted as the foundation for the establishment of the Belmont Report, which in itself, would change research forever. Ethics in the Name of Science Two very controversial experiments have been dissected a thousand times over by some of social science’s most amazing minds as well as the academic populous worldwide. Though the Milgram experiment of 1962 and the Stanford Prison Experiment in 1971 were entirely different, they both shared the groundbreaking task of identifying the affects of “Obedience to Authority” (Milgram, 1974). Both social scientists believe they had identified the possible risks but fell short in their attempt to alleviate any ethical repercussions. This paper will address the attempts made to ensure moral and ethical studies were accomplished as well as identify where both experiments had major flaws in their plans to ensure no physical or emotional harm came to it’s subjects. To establish a baseline for this paper we must first define the basic principles of ethics. The Belmont report of 1979 states “Three basic principles (among those generally accepted in our cultural tradition) are particularly relevant to the ethics of research involving human subjects: the principles of respect...
Words: 1337 - Pages: 6
...Psychology is defined as the scientific study of the behavior of individuals and their mental processes (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2010). When you take psychology in college, it is to teach you how to understand how people are different and allow you to be non-judgmental. Being in the Navy, I feel that I developed the ability to be open-minded very early on in my career. This is because the military recruits people from all over the country, from the ghetto to the country club. I deal with all walks of life (race, religion, gender) on a daily basis. What I do not get to see in the Navy is people with mental disabilities and disorders. This course has taught me that approximately half of the populations of the United States have experienced or are experiencing some type of psychiatric disorder (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2010). The average person looks down on someone with any type of disability. They usually label them as deviant when their disorder allows them to commit a crime. What people don’t understand is that some of these people cannot control what they are doing. The only way for them to satisfy an urge is to do what they are thinking about. An example of this would be a serial killer. Serial killers usually have an internal motive for killing repeatedly, whereas a murderer usually commits one crime for a very specific reason. Serial killers need to satisfy some urge, and they do that through killing. However, not all people that have unquenchable urges resort...
Words: 1651 - Pages: 7
...The actions of man throughout history are often defined by two different codes of conduct: good and evil. The tendencies of human beings can be observed and analyzed through the work of several psychologists. Renowned psychologist, Philip Zimbardo’s research shows that good people will continue to commit evil acts when they are put under certain conditions, eventually generating the loss of their identity. These conditions test the moral strength and personal conscience of intrinsically good people. His research provides a lens for the explanation of the meaning and causes of these recurring evil phenomenon. Thomas Paine’s famous quote, “[these] are the times that try men’s souls,” strongly relates to the conflicts between right and wrong that...
Words: 1712 - Pages: 7
...Coercive power is the power base that is dependent on fear. In other words, The coercive power base depends on fear of the negative results from failing to comply. Coercive power can also come from withholding key information. Reward power is the opposite power of coercive power. Reward power is the compliance achieved based on the ability to distribute rewards that others view as valuable. Legitimate power is the power a person receives as a result of his or her position in the formal hierarchy of an organisation. It includes members’ acceptance of the authority of a position. ii. Write a 200 word summary of the argument in the article by Politis. This paper examines the relationship between credibility, the dimensions of power and a number of knowledge acquisition attributes. There are three major findings in this research. First, the relationship between expert power and the knowledge acquisition attributes of personal traits, control and negotiation is positive and significant. Second, the constructs of coercive and referent power are likely to have a negative influence on employees’ knowledge acquisition and...
Words: 565 - Pages: 3
...Running head: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY DEFINITION PAPER Social Psychology Definition Paper PSY 400 October 24, 2011 Matt Diggs Social Psychology Very often, one wonders why one acts the way he or she does. It just seems to be human nature to ask such questions and to try to discover more about the complexity of human actions and causes. Of course, there are many perspectives in the field of psychology that attempt to address these significant questions. For instance, biopsychology considers important factors including one’s brain, genetic predisposition, and many others when addressing behavior. However, social psychology, even though it agrees with other branches in psychology, does focus on different aspects when seeking these kinds of conclusions. Social psychology centers their attention on understanding human actions such as what led to the cruelty of killing millions of people during War II. Why will one always help him or herself first, before helping others? Why do others matter more when making decisions? Social psychology is essential not only to the field of psychology but also to every individual because it provides answers to questions one seeks about him or herself and others. However, social psychology does more than provide answers to these few questions, as these merely touch the surface of social psychology’s focus (Myers, 2010). Definition of Social Psychology Social psychology is a science just like many other fields including astronomy...
Words: 1790 - Pages: 8
...Psychology Research Paper: 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment Joseph Roby Carrington College Wednesday, December 4, 2013 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment It’s been over 42 years now since an illustrious experiment was performed by a couple of Stanford Psychologists that would ultimately change the course on how we look at people with the right of authority. In 1971, Psychology Professor Dr. Phillip Zimbardo operated a psychology experiment called the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment to see just how ordinary people would react when given authority over another helpless being. This experiment would take place inside the psychology rooms of the Stanford College, and would durate between the dates of August 14, 1971 to August 20, 1971. Guards would be hired and given legitimate power over mock prisoners to see what levels of domestication they would impose on them. The experiment would start off cool and harmonious, but would eventually take a blinding turn for the worst. After just six days the experiment was brought to an unforeseen end and never reached the two week frame that it was given. In just those six days Dr. Zimbardo, and eventually a wide audience, would forever know the 1971 Stanford prison experiment as an experiment that would change the amount of power someone could and will be given in a title of authority. It was never Dr. Zimbardo’s intention to create something so impactful, or maybe just not in the way it impacted our society. Before his experiment...
Words: 1397 - Pages: 6
...Psychology 1A Term paper MICHAEL SADIK-SALIB Psychology 1A Term paper MICHAEL SADIK-SALIB 08 Fall 08 Fall Individuals have different behaviors depending on how they feel, think, want, or what they do because these things change from moment to moment. This paper will be writing about human personality and how this can be influence by other psychological subfield in social and clinical factors. I will explain how personality can be in a child-learning environment and influential adults in life and how these influences shape those behaviors. These changes show how the personality is and help to recognize, and understand the individual. “Personality is an abstraction used to explain consistency and coherency in an individuals’ pattern of affects, cognitions, desires and behaviors” (Revelle, n.d). According to Feist and Feist,”personality is a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior. Sigmund Freud was one who developed his theory in the modern psychology. Psychoanalytic was his theory and consists on the human psyche. The id, the ego and the superego were the beginning basics. The scientists who continued with this investigation were Erich Fromm, Carl Jung, and Erik Erikson. Another theory is Phenomenological. It says that people are inclined toward goodness and fulfilling ones potential. Abraham Maslow was the scientist who reviewed this theory. Behaviorist, another...
Words: 2074 - Pages: 9
...Research on Stanford Prison Experiment The whole purpose of the Standard Prison Experiment was to see if roles affect people’s behavior and to see if you were to put decent people in an evil place if the humanity would remain or disappear. Phillip Zimbardo believed that roles had a power effect on behavior and he was right! The experiment location was in the basement of Jordan Hall, Standard’s psychology building. “The experiment that inspired a novel, two films, countless TV programs, re-enactments and even a band.” http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/09/our-dark-hearts-stanford-prison.php They advertized the experiment in the news paper and for fifteen dollars a day, a lot of people volunteered. They accepted boy college students who had to be: psychologically stable, healthy, and have no criminal background in order to participate. They randomly chose who played what role by tossing a coin. They had twelve people playing the guards and twelve people playing the prisoners plus some extra people just in case some quit the experiment. The prisoners were allowed to quit during the experiment, but some of them seemed to forget or misunderstand that they could actually leave. The experiment got to be so real and serious, that the prisoners would tell each other that there was no way out of this hell. The role was turning them depressed and made them feel as if they were really trapped, just like real prisoners. About half of the prisoners...
Words: 1008 - Pages: 5
...Research Process and Terminology Paper Name CJA/334 - RESEARCH METHODS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE Date Instructor Research Process and Terminology When I hear the word research, I usually think of scientists in a lab wearing white lab gowns but, this is not always the case in the Criminal Justice field. Research can be used to fight crime, prove evidence in court or even help improve police response without the city. There are many terminology’s that has to be known to be successful when working in the field. How will this new terminology and knowledge apply to a career in criminal justice? There are hundreds of jobs within the criminal justice field. This new terminology will help throughout the research and will and aid in whichever branch or specialty the person is undertaking. The Terminology will help the person understand the different performances of the research and how it can be applied to his or her performance in job duties. This will give anyone a better understanding for research and how it should be carried out to assist them How will not knowing the proper terminology affect you as you conduct criminal justice research? Anyone that works in the criminal justice field knows that at any time people rely on the system to help them when needed. The system basically has control of all our lives and can determine what may happen next. Not knowing the proper terminology can have a huge effect on someone’s life, safety, and can even death...
Words: 1106 - Pages: 5
...HONG KONG BAPTIST UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATE DEGREE PROGRAMME Code: GESS5301 Title: Essential of Psychology Term: Fall 2012 Credits: 3 Pre-requisite: NIL Instructor: Ms. Katherine Leung Office Location: -- Office Tel: -- Email Address: kath0214@hkbu.edu.hk Aims and Objectives This course aims at providing students with a general introduction to the field of psychology. While several orientations to the study of human behavior will be discussed, the primary emphasis will be put on the scientific study of behavior from an empirical perspective. Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs) On completion of this course, students should be able to |CILO 1 |Describe and distinguish between the major psychological theories of behaviour; | |CILO 2 |Define, generate and identify examples of the basic behavioural principles and concepts as well as how to apply them to their own lives; | | |and | |CILO 3 |Critique the major areas typically considered the domain of psychology such as learning, sensation, memory, personality, developmental | | |psychology, and abnormal behaviour from an empirical perspective. ...
Words: 916 - Pages: 4
...Research with human subjects has a long and often troubled history in the United States (U.S.) and throughout the world. Chances are you already have heard of some of the most egregious and well-known examples of unethical research in the biomedical sciences, such as the experiments conducted by Nazi doctors and scientists on concentration camp prisoners during World War II, and the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) study titled "Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male" (Tuskegee Study). These abuses led to the creation of codes of research ethics in Europe and the U.S. In the wake of the Second World War, the subsequent Nuremberg Trials on war crimes produced the Nuremberg Code, which outlined ten points for conducting ethical research with human subjects. Nearly two decades later, the World Medical Association (WMA) developed a code of research ethics known as the Declaration of Helsinki, published in 1964 and subsequently revised. This document is built on both the Nuremberg Code and the physician's code of ethics known as the Declaration of Geneva. In the U.S., news that researchers deceived and withheld treatment from subjects who suffered from syphilis in the Tuskegee Study led to the creation of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research (National Commission or "the Commission"). The Commission was charged with establishing a code of research ethics for U.S. research involving human subjects. In 1979...
Words: 4059 - Pages: 17
