key term - Zimbardo's Prison Experiment

Definition

Zimbardo's Prison Experiment was a landmark psychological study conducted in 1971 that examined the effects of situational power and the role-playing of guards and prisoners in a simulated prison environment. The experiment revealed the profound impact that the prison setting and authority figures can have on human behavior, leading to the emergence of disturbing and abusive actions by the participants.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Zimbardo experiment was designed to study the psychological effects of perceived power and the transition from normal to abusive behavior in a controlled environment.
2. Participants were randomly assigned to be either guards or prisoners in a simulated prison setting, with the guards given significant authority and control over the prisoners.
3. Within a short period, the guards began to exhibit increasingly aggressive and dehumanizing behavior towards the prisoners, while the prisoners became increasingly submissive and compliant.
4. The experiment was intended to last for two weeks but was terminated after only six days due to the disturbing and unethical actions of the guards.
5. The Zimbardo experiment highlighted the powerful influence of situational factors and the potential for ordinary people to engage in unethical behavior when placed in a position of authority and control.

Review Questions

• Explain how the Zimbardo experiment demonstrated the impact of situational factors on human behavior.
  • The Zimbardo experiment revealed that the prison setting and the assigned roles of guards and prisoners had a profound impact on the participants' behavior. The guards, who were given authority and control over the prisoners, quickly began to exhibit aggressive and dehumanizing actions, while the prisoners became increasingly submissive and compliant. This demonstrated the powerful influence of the situational context in shaping human behavior, as the participants' actions were shaped more by the prison environment than their individual personalities or moral beliefs.
• Analyze how the concept of role-playing contributed to the disturbing outcomes of the Zimbardo experiment.
  • In the Zimbardo experiment, the participants were assigned specific roles of either guards or prisoners, which significantly influenced their behavior. The act of role-playing, where individuals assume a new identity and the associated expectations, led the participants to internalize and embody their assigned roles. The guards, for instance, began to see themselves as true authority figures and acted accordingly, while the prisoners accepted their subordinate status and complied with the guards' demands. This role-playing dynamic, combined with the situational factors of the prison environment, contributed to the emergence of abusive and unethical actions by the guards and the submission of the prisoners.
• Evaluate the ethical implications of the Zimbardo experiment and its impact on the field of psychology.
  • The Zimbardo experiment raised serious ethical concerns due to the distressing and unethical behaviors that emerged from the study. The experiment's design and the researchers' failure to intervene in a timely manner led to the abuse and dehumanization of the participants, which had long-lasting psychological impacts. The experiment's findings, however, were instrumental in highlighting the powerful influence of situational factors and the potential for ordinary people to engage in unethical actions when placed in positions of authority. This study has had a significant impact on the field of psychology, leading to greater scrutiny of research methods and the implementation of more stringent ethical guidelines to protect research participants. The Zimbardo experiment serves as a cautionary tale, reminding researchers and the public of the importance of considering the ethical implications of psychological studies and the responsibility to ensure the well-being of research participants.

Related terms

Situational Factors: The environmental and contextual influences that shape human behavior, as demonstrated in the Zimbardo experiment where the prison setting itself led to the development of harmful behaviors.

Role-Playing: The act of assuming a specific role or identity, as the participants in the Zimbardo experiment did when they were assigned to be either guards or prisoners, which impacted their subsequent actions.

Deindividuation:

The loss of self-awareness and individual identity that can occur when people are part of a group, as seen in the Zimbardo experiment where the guards and prisoners began to lose their sense of personal responsibility.